Symptoms and Diagnosis

The Onset of dementia is gradual, and sometimes, often confused with regular ageing. However, it is important to remember that dementia is nota process of normal ageing. It is an illness and doesn’t affect all elderly people.

Different types of dementia can produce varying symptoms in each individual. Ifa person who is usually quite temperamental, it might not be because of dementia but more because of their personality. If the same person is being more temperamental than they usually are, it might be a sign of dementia.

Some common early signs of dementia include:

• Memory difficulties: Misplacing important items like keys, wallets, official documents etc.; forgetting day/date/year/month or important events like festivals and birthdays; making lists to remember things; forgetting recipes if they regularly cook and so on
• Subtle language and communication difficulties:Such as searching for words during conversations; forgetting or mixing up names of people, objects or places; using the wrong word during conversation; making minor grammatical errors and so on
• Difficulty planning, making decisions, solving problems: Being unable to carry out tasks involving many steps which they otherwise usually can; unable to pay attention to many things simultaneously; giving up responsibilities to others and refraining from being involved in planning events like weddings or festivals and so on.
• Being moody: Being easily irritable, low frustration tolerance, crying spells, temperamental or aggressive – more than usual
• Becoming inactive and being disinterested in any activity: (losing interest in activities they usually took part in, being withdrawn, less sociable and so on.
• Needing help with some of the activities that they were able to do independently previously: Such as starting to get overly dependent on other family members for complex tasks that involve a lot of thinking; struggling with tasks that are new and involve learning; struggling with managing finances as well as they used to and so on

In the later stages of the diseases, a Person with dementia may experience –

• Decline in independent day to day functioning – bathing, dressing, eating, shavingand so on
• Further memory decline – Beginning to forget name of spouse, name of children, misrecognizing familiar people, forgetting their address, phone number or familiar places, being repetitive in conversations
• Wandering – getting lost, leaving the home unexpectedly despite being asked not to
• Will most likely need care provided by others for all day to day activities
• May be unable to recognize people (including close family and friends), or familiar places (their own home or neighborhood)
• May experience bladder and bowel incontinence
• May display little to no communication or language abilities

May be mostly bed bound

Diagnosis of dementia as early as possible is crucial. An early dementia diagnosis is beneficial for not just the PwD but also for those will take care of them.For practical purposes, it is important for dementia to be diagnosed in the early stages so that doctors can assess the PwD’s medical situation as accurately as possible and subsequently administer the right treatment to improve their prospects. Apart from this, an early diagnosis means the PwD has the capacity to plan and make appropriate decisions for the future. These could be medical, financial, family-related or even in terms of the kind or support they want to receive during their illness. Also, an earlier assessment and treatment may completely cure some of the other conditions associated with dementia, such as thyroid problems or depression. Psychological interventions can also be provided to extend their current level of functioning as long as possible and reduce the acceleration of their decline or even stabilize them.

For the carer, an early diagnosis of dementia can be very valuable. It will give them time to cope with the news that their loved one will soon start to change. They can have conversations with their loved one about their future and get familiar with their preferences for care. They can also resolve any feelings that might be provoked by the news along with their loved ones. They also have the time to prepare for their eventual role as the care-giver – which can be extremely stressful and demanding (physically, emotionally and socially). They can extend the period of independence of their loved ones which would subsequently reduce a lot of care-giver burden. An early diagnosis also means that the carer doesn’t have to make all important decisions alone; they can involve their loved one as long as they are able to.

Importantly, both the PwD and the carer require time to understand the illness and seek out the best advice and medical care so that they can prepare to face it together.