Caring for someone with Dementia
- Jessica Fink, RN
- Oct 29, 2020
- 2 min read
“Wait. Where am I?” We have all had a transient ‘senior moment’ or ‘brain fart’ here and there in our lives. However, when we are over the age of 65, we (and our loved ones) should be on alert for larger patterns of memory loss. That larger pattern of memory loss could point to Dementia.
Dementia is an umbrella term that can refer to memory issues due to a wide range of diagnoses like:
· Alzheimer’s disease
· Cerebrovascular disease
· Lewy Body disease
· Fronto-Temporal Lobar Degeneration
· Parkinson’s disease
· Hippocampal Sclerosis
Because of its wide range of possible sources, it is important to know what to look for so that your loved one can be evaluated by a healthcare provider for possible treatment of the underlying cause.
Dementia has a slow and insidious onset, which makes it hard to pin down in the early stages and frustrating for people experiencing it and frustrating for their families.
Some symptoms of dementia include:
· Memory loss that disrupts daily life
· Challenges in planning or solving problems
· Difficulty completing familiar tasks
· Intermittent confusion with time or place
· Trouble understanding visual images or judging distance
· New problems with words in speaking or writing
· Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace their steps
· Decreased or poor judgement
· Withdrawal from work or social activities
· Changes in mood or personality
The most important thing to remember when assessing for signs of dementia is a consistent change in the person’s previous memory capabilities. Occasional errors and misplacing things are normal signs of aging when they are accompanied by the eventual correction. However, if you notice that there is a consistent problem with remembering things that your loved one did not have problems remembering for their entire lives up to recently you may want to call their Primary Care Provider for an evaluation.
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