Dementia

Dementia: Know The Signs

Dementia Awareness Week is coming up (14th-20th May) and it got me thinking; would I know what to look out for in a family member? To be honest, until recently I never really knew what dementia was and I definitely wouldn’t have known if someone had it or not. I certainly wouldn’t have known what symptoms to look out for in someone before now.

Something I didn’t realise is that dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are part of the same thing. I always thought these were completely different and got annoyed with myself for getting the two confused. Many people who have Alzheimer’s disease end up with dementia as well.

Dementia is a syndrome which commonly affects people over 65 although it can occur at other ages and it occurs when the brain is damaged by different diseases or strokes.  There are so many different symptoms of dementia and people can be affected differently. It’s really important to recognise changes in people and here are just a few of the things you could look out for.

Symptoms of dementia:

  • Depression
  • Changes in moods
  • Mental confusion
  • Difficulty finding the right words
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Trouble remembering things that happened recently
  • Struggling to follow a conversation
  • Remembering days or dates
  • Forgetting names and people
  • Feeling confused
  • Difficulty completing every day tasks
  • Loss of sense of direction
  • Being repetitive
  • Struggling to accept change

Diagnosis is key so it’s really important to encourage anyone you think could have dementia to see their GP as soon as possible. If someone is already feeling confused or out of sorts it may be hard for them to realise that something could be wrong!

While many people with this condition are able to stay living at home either independently or with a carer, there is also the option of care homes. There are now care homes that are dedicated to dementia care so there are plenty of options available.

Dementia

I hope this post has been helpful in raising some awareness! If, like me, you didn’t know much about it, any extra information is a big plus! 

This is a collaborative post. All opinions are our own. 

16 thoughts on “Dementia: Know The Signs”

  1. My grandma had dementia and I also worked in social care for years so know a lot about Dementia myself, not many people know much about it though unless they have experienced it first hand x

  2. This is such an interesting read – when I was much younger my Grandma had dementia and I didn’t really understand what it was. Raising awareness is so important!

  3. This is such an important topic to talk about. My Nanny has dementia, but she refused point blank to admit it. It is such an awful thing to see happening to someone you love so much, so I couldn’t imagine how scary it must be for the person who is suffering.

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