Forgetfulness

We have all had moments of forgetfulness, particularly when tired or stressed. That’s normal. But how can you tell when that moment of being unable to remember someone’s name is more than simple forgetfulness?

Dementia diary

Who can live without their diary? Not me. Keeping a diary is an acceptable and common sense approach to managing a busy life. However, despite something being written in your diary, every now and then you forget! Also perfectly normal. But when you start missing appointments and occasions with some regularity, despite it being written in your diary and perhaps on a white board and post stick notes, this is not normal. The key word is regularity.
Dysfunctioning short term memory is the most obvious thing people will notice when dementia is in it’s very early stages. If you have forgotten someone’s name, and it takes a few minutes to remember, this is not necessarily an early sign. If it’s your next door neighbour who you have known for ten years, then that could be a cause for concern.

Feeling overwhelmed

Each day presents it’s own unique set of problems and challenges. Through-out our lives we learn and use techniques and strategies to overcome and resolve the issues, whether it be what to make for dinner tonight, or balancing the family budget.
In the early stages of dementia, these challenges can feel more difficult than they did before. Following a recipe and recognising the measurements can require more time and thinking. Simple maths equations don’t work out the right way and need to be repeated, but they still don’t look quite right despite the extra time and effort.

Where was I?

Have you ever driven to the supermarket and wondered how you got there? We all use auto-pilot on well travelled roads. The difference with dementia may be that while you can’t recall how you got there (auto-pilot), you start driving home and can’t remember the route (dementia). There is the alarming difference.

Calendar confusion

People with early onset of dementia may become quite cranky with others when they insist on something being on a particular date. They show up for the event on the wrong day and become very annoyed that the wrong date was given to them. It’s the other person’s fault. This is a way of hiding the truth from themselves by being in a state of denial; because this is just one of several signs that the person has secretly noticed and is frightened of.

Word jumbles

Inappropriate or subject-incongruous comments from someone in the course of a conversation can create discomfort. It may be single words that don’t fit with the context or whole comments. The tone of the conversation may be quite sombre, when suddenly the person with dementia may laugh and talk about something they found funny.
A single word difficulty may be where the word is pronounced incorrectly or a replacement word is found for the one that can’t be recalled.
Anxiety often accompanies a conversation if the person can’t adequately express their thoughts with the right words. This is out of character for them, and is clearly an abnormality in their normal self-expression. Unfortunately, there is often some awareness of what is happening, and therefore embarrassment adds to the anxiety.
It can spill over into writing. No matter how often they write a word, it continues to look strange and incorrect, even when it isn’t. Or the spelling of a simple word is like unlocking a complex puzzle.

Who Stole It!

Things go missing! The family may start to hear that a certain person has stolen something because the item was there before they came and then it was gone. This story or a variation of it starts to sound somewhat commonplace. Soon several items have strangely disappeared. This misplacing of items can lead to suspicion and paranoia, because there is usually a strong conviction that it is someone else’s fault.

Embarrassment

As these early signs of dementia start to accumulate, a concurrent level of embarrassment and anxiety also builds. Sadly this leads to avoidance strategies; declining invitations and not joining in with family conversations. All of this leads to feelings of sadness, depression and isolation.
The person affected may withdraw from activities that used to bring happiness, and moods appear unpredictable. A greater effort is required to make sense of daily activities and maintain a level of normality. This is a subtle change that occurs over time, so that family members may not quite realise what is happening until the symptoms are suddenly very obvious.

Other causes need to be eliminated!

If something you have read here has triggered an alarm bell in your mind, it is highly advisable to talk to someone about it. Your GP is the first port of call, whether it is for you or your loved one. There are strategies and early interventions that can be discussed. Other organic causes need to be eliminated. That means there might be a completely different reason for the altered behaviours you are noticing. For example, hypothyroidism is easily treated and yet, if untreated it can cause thought disturbances that make you feel foggy and vague.

Early stages of dementia are an opportunity for early intervention. Quality of life is the goal of these interventions, so taking action is always a good thing.

Erica Fotineas

2017