Early Signs of Dementia: What to Watch For
Dementia is more than memory loss. It is an umbrella term for conditions that affect memory, thinking, communication, behavior, and the ability to manage everyday activities. While forgetting names or appointments can happen with normal aging, a noticeable change from a person’s usual abilities or behavior deserves attention.
At Egan Wellness & Med Spa, we believe healthy aging includes protecting brain health and recognizing changes early. Here are some less-obvious signs of cognitive decline that families should know.
1. Moving Less or Becoming More Sedentary
A gradual decrease in physical activity may accompany declining cognitive health. While aging, pain, and other health conditions can naturally reduce activity, a significant change from a person's normal routine is worth discussing with a healthcare provider.
2. Changes in Driving
New dents, near-misses, getting lost on familiar routes, avoiding nighttime driving, or taking fewer trips may signal changes in attention, judgment, or spatial awareness.
3. More Frequent Falls
Everyone falls occasionally, but repeated falls, especially in an older adult, can be associated with neurological or cognitive problems. Frequent falls should be evaluated rather than simply attributed to aging.
4. Difficulty Understanding Sarcasm or Social Cues
Some forms of dementia, particularly frontotemporal dementia (FTD), can affect a person's ability to understand humor, sarcasm, deception, or social situations.
5. Unusual Disregard for Social Norms
A person who has always been respectful and law-abiding may begin behaving inappropriately, impulsively, or in ways that are completely out of character. This can occur with certain forms of dementia, including FTD.
6. Changes in Eye Movement or Reading
Some people with Lewy body dementia may develop a reduced gaze or difficulty tracking words across a page. They may appear to stare more often or repeatedly lose their place while reading.
7. Forgetting What Objects Are Used For
Occasionally forgetting a word is common. A more concerning change is losing knowledge of what familiar objects are or what they are used for.
8. Loss of Empathy or Inappropriate Behavior
A sudden change from being considerate and socially aware to making hurtful, inappropriate, or insensitive comments—without recognizing the impact—can be an early sign of certain types of dementia.
9. New Compulsive or Ritualistic Behaviors
Extreme collecting, hoarding, repetitive behaviors, or rigid rituals that are very different from a person's previous habits may warrant evaluation.
10. Difficulty Managing Money Problems paying bills, balancing accounts, handling expenses, or making increasingly poor financial decisions can be an early warning sign of cognitive
decline.
11. Difficulty Finding or Forming Words
When someone who has always communicated easily begins struggling to produce words or sentences, it may indicate a language-related neurological disorder such as primary progressive aphasia.
When Should You Seek Help?
Not every change listed above means dementia. Many medical, nutritional, emotional, medication-related, sleep-related, and neurological issues can affect memory and thinking.
The key is change from a person's normal baseline.
At Egan Wellness & Med Spa, Dr. Pamela Egan and our team take a comprehensive approach to healthy aging and wellness. If you or a loved one has noticed changes in memory, behavior, communication, balance, or daily functioning, talk with a qualified healthcare professional. Early evaluation can help identify potentially treatable causes and provide an opportunity to address brain health as early as possible.
Egan Wellness & Med Spa
Dr. Pamela Egan, DNP, MS, MN, CDCESABAAHP Diplomat | Board Certified Adult & Family Nurse PractitionerDoctor of Nursing Practice | MS Metabolic & Nutritional Medicine | CNS Adult Psych
1116 West 21st Avenue, Covington, LA 70433985-892-3031www.egan-wellness.com
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