{"id":1003,"date":"2022-09-15T00:34:27","date_gmt":"2022-09-15T00:34:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/villages.com.au\/?p=1003"},"modified":"2022-09-21T03:34:44","modified_gmt":"2022-09-21T03:34:44","slug":"getting-to-know-the-early-signs-of-dementia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.villages.com.au\/health\/getting-to-know-the-early-signs-of-dementia\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting to know the early signs of dementia"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"1003\" class=\"elementor elementor-1003\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-9eeea2f elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"9eeea2f\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-33df511\" data-id=\"33df511\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0a79d58 elementor-drop-cap-yes elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0a79d58\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;drop_cap&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.15.0 - 20-08-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<p>I<strong>f you lose your keys or can\u2019t remember where you parked your car, it\u2019s not uncommon to worry it could be one of the early signs of dementia.<\/strong><\/p><p>Memory loss is one of the main symptoms of dementia, but it\u2019s also a normal part of ageing. For many of us, forgetting things from time to time is just part of life.<\/p><p>Memory loss is often one of the <strong>first symptoms of dementia<\/strong> to appear. So how can we tell if it\u2019s simple forgetfulness, or an early sign of dementia?<\/p><p>In this blog we\u2019ll cover the early signs of dementia and how to differentiate them from normal signs of ageing. Here\u2019s what we\u2019ll cover:<\/p><ul><li><a href=\"#dementia_memory\">How dementia affects memory<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#early_signs_dementia\">Other early signs of dementia<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#normal_signs_ageing\">What are the normal signs of ageing?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><p>Hit the link and you\u2019ll be taken to the corresponding section.<\/p><p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p><h2><strong>How dementia affects memory<\/strong><\/h2><p>Dementia can affect memory in different ways, but there are some key things to look out for.<\/p><ul><li>Memory loss that is persistent and gets worse over time<\/li><li>Short-term memory loss \u2013 forgetting what someone told you five minutes ago<\/li><li>Memory loss that interferes with the ability to function day-to-day, for example, that causes the inability to perform at work<\/li><li>Forgetting how to perform everyday activities, such as getting dressed or cooking<\/li><li>Forgetting previously familiar information about history or politics<\/li><\/ul><div>\u00a0<\/div><p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p><h3>\u2014\u00a0<strong>Other early signs of dementia<\/strong><\/h3><p>The early signs of dementia are different for everyone. However, there are some common symptoms other than memory loss. These include:<\/p><ul><li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/www.getstaged.co\/site_1\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/estee-janssens-zni0zgb3bkQ-unsplash-1024x684.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"201\" \/>Having trouble navigating, for example getting lost in the supermarket or on your way home from work<\/li><li>Putting things in unusual places, such as putting your keys in a kitchen drawer<\/li><li>Following written or verbal directions may become more difficult<\/li><li>Have trouble learning new tasks<\/li><li>Following a conversation as language and understanding become more difficult<\/li><li>Losing track of the date and year<\/li><li>Losing the ability to follow a television programme, a movie or book<\/li><li>Making poor decisions regularly<\/li><li>Having trouble paying bills on time<\/li><li>Becoming withdrawn<\/li><li>Losing interest in work, friends and hobbies<\/li><li>Becoming unusually anxious or frightened<\/li><li>Easily upset, even in comfortable or familiar surroundings<\/li><\/ul><p>Symptoms such as hallucinations and inappropriate language or behaviour may be signs of less common forms of dementia, such as dementia with Lewy bodies and frontotemporal dementia.<\/p><p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p><h2><strong>What are the normal signs of ageing?<\/strong><\/h2><p>Normal memory loss, which may begin to appear in a person\u2019s 40s, can include the following:<\/p><ul><li>Becoming more forgetful<\/li><li>Taking longer to recall things<\/li><li>Getting distracted easily<\/li><li>Finding it difficult to do more than one thing at a time<\/li><\/ul><p>If you are concerned that you or a loved one may have dementia, it\u2019s important to <strong>speak to your doctor sooner rather than later.<\/strong> Your GP will be able to provide information about the condition and give advice about maximising quality of life living with dementia.<\/p><p>Doctors may also be able to recommend medication to help slow the disease\u2019s progression or even provide you with access to a medical trial.<\/p><p>While a dementia diagnosis always comes as shock, getting it early gives you time to discuss the condition with friends and family and organise powers of attorney and advance decision makers.<\/p><p>An <strong>early diagnosis<\/strong> is also the best way to preserve your quality of life for as long as possible.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lose your keys? Not sure where you parked your car? It\u2019s common to worry it could be an early sign of dementia. In this blog we cover these signs and how to differentiate them from signs of ageing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[72],"tags":[102,101],"class_list":["post-1003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","tag-dementia","tag-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1003","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1003"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1003\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1360,"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1003\/revisions\/1360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.villages.com.au/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}