As your loved ones grow older, changes in their demeanor or daily routine are often unsettling. So many of us try to justify out of character shifts as a part of the aging process, and many times it is, but sometimes your sixth sense tells you something is not quite right.
Seeing any sign of early dementia in your family, no matter how small, elicits a heavy feeling. Here at Home Instead, we want to validate your viewings as their most loving caregiver and encourage a diagnosis as early as possible.
Together, we can tackle any signs of early dementia in a way that places comfort for you and your entire family first.
Understanding what dementia is helps everyone feel comfortable
The first step to feeling more comfortable with dementia and its early signs is by understanding what the condition is exactly. Dementia is not a single disease, but rather an umbrella term encompassing a range of cognitive disorders. Many of you know the most common form of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, but there are other types with unique characteristics and underlying causes.
The blanket understanding of dementia is a decline in cognitive abilities, memory, thinking, and communication skills. It affects the brain’s ability to process and retain information, which may lead to difficulty in your loved one’s routine and quality of life.
Although this complex condition can feel impossible to fully grasp, by knowing the basics you are able to spot signs of early dementia and intervene as soon as possible.
Is this an early sign of dementia, or just normal aging?
As your loved one, or any of us for that matter, ages, it's natural to experience some cognitive changes. Misplacing keys or forgetting appointments occasionally are the most common examples of a normal part in the aging process.
However, when these changes become more frequent and significantly impact your loved one’s daily life, it may be signs of early dementia. Pay attention to a repetition of these common symptoms:
- persistent memory loss
- Confusion
- difficulty completing familiar tasks
- language problems, mood swings
- social withdrawal
We want to emphasize again, you know your loved one best. If any of these symptoms start to alarm you, there is no harm in seeking medical advice.
The diagnostic process can be overwhelming, but you are not alone.
Here at Home Instead, we encourage you to take the signs of early dementia you’re seeing seriously, but also support yourself during the process. We understand any health journey, no matter how small, is overwhelming. Take it step by step and remember, you are not alone.
Start by reaching out to your loved one’s healthcare professionals to receive recommendations on dementia specialists. This will get you the best access to accurate assessments and expert guidance. From there, they will conduct medical evaluations, cognitive assessments, and any further tests to determine the underlying cause of the symptoms.
While this process is occuring, make sure to take care of yourself! We have compiled an entire list of resources to ensure your needs as a caregiver are being supported. No matter what you decide the next steps are, Home Instead is here to help you through every step of the caregiving process.
Does early diagnosis actually help my loved one?
Yes! By monitoring signs of early dementia, you are single-handedly improving your loved one’s quality of life. The sooner the diagnosis, the easier it is to intervene in the disease process and face it head-on. This allows for ample time to create routines, find medications that work correctly, and doctors your loved one feels comfortable with. Most importantly, it introduces the caregiving process in an easy and non intimidating way.
In the beginning, caregiving often looks like an increased sense of companionship between you and your loved one. As signs of early dementia progresses, your entire care team will be dialed in to the exact needs of your family, significantly reducing caregiver burnout.
No matter the steps following the signs of early dementia, your care and constant support are exactly what your loved one needs. As time unfolds, we want to help support your entire family, in a way that feels best to you. To inquire on any aspect of caregiving needs, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Home Instead.
