What is dementia?
Dementia is not one disease. It is a term for symptoms that affect memory, thinking and the ability to carry out daily activities. The CDC's overview of dementia describes it in these terms, including its effect on memory, thinking and daily function.
Alzheimer's disease is one cause of dementia, and there are others. Only a clinician can work out what is behind a person's symptoms, so this page does not try to name a cause.
How is normal aging different from early dementia?
Normal aging usually brings occasional, minor lapses that do not disrupt daily life. Early dementia tends to bring changes that are more frequent, more noticeable and harder to work around. The comparisons below are rules of thumb to start a conversation, not a test.
- Forgetting names or appointments: Normal aging means remembering them later. A warning sign is forgetting recently learned information again and again, or relying on notes and family for things the person used to handle alone.
- Misplacing items: Normal aging means retracing steps and finding the item. A warning sign is putting things in odd places, such as keys in the freezer, and being unable to retrace steps.
- Word-finding: Normal aging means pausing to find a word now and then. A warning sign is frequently losing the thread of a conversation or using the wrong words.
- Managing tasks: Normal aging means needing a bit more time with a new phone or appliance. A warning sign is struggling with tasks the person has done for years, such as paying bills, cooking a familiar meal or following a recipe.
- Time and place: Normal aging means briefly forgetting the day of the week. A warning sign is getting lost in familiar places or losing track of the season or year.
- Judgment and mood: Normal aging means an occasional questionable decision or irritability when routines change. A warning sign is a clear shift in judgment, personality or interest in things the person once enjoyed.
What early warning signs should families watch for?
The signs families most often notice are repeated questions, trouble with familiar tasks, confusion about time or place, and changes in mood or behavior. Look at patterns over weeks and months rather than a single bad day.
- Asking the same question several times in one conversation
- Unopened mail, unpaid bills or unusual spending
- Missed medications or doubled doses
- Spoiled food in the fridge, or skipped meals
- Getting lost on routes the person knows well
- Withdrawing from hobbies, friends or church and community activities
- Growing suspicion, anxiety or unusual irritability
Many things other than dementia can cause similar symptoms, including medication effects, infections, sleep problems, depression and vision or hearing loss. That is one more reason to have a professional look rather than guess.
When should you see a doctor about memory changes?
See a doctor when memory or thinking changes are new, getting worse, or starting to affect safety, finances or daily routines. You do not need to be certain it is dementia first. A primary care doctor is a reasonable starting point, and they may suggest a specialist such as a neurologist, geriatrician or memory clinic.
Before the visit, it helps to write down:
- Specific examples of what you have noticed and roughly when they began
- All medications and supplements the person takes
- Other health conditions and any recent illness, fall or hospital stay
- Whether anyone in the family has noticed the same changes
If you live in or near Naples, look for a practice with experience in memory concerns in older adults. Ask the office how new patients with memory concerns are evaluated and how long the wait is.