One of our goals at Kadan Homecare is to educate families, friends and caretakers about dementia and symptoms of dementia. In 2020, there were more than 55 million people worldwide living with dementia. To do our part, we work to provide quality home care to your loved ones. We meet them where they feel most comfortable—at home.

If you’ve noticed that something seems “off” with your loved one, you may be interested to learn more about dementia. At Kadan, we recognize that caring for someone who has dementia can be stressful. Our caretakers are committed to assisting the families of loved ones who are suffering from dementia.

Here, we’re sharing five early warning signs of dementia. Keep in mind that dementia is an umbrella term that covers a number of conditions associated with brain function and gradual deterioration. No two dementias are the same. While this is not a comprehensive list, you can use it as a guide to help you better understand dementia and weigh your options for homecare.

As always, Kadan Homecare is here to support you and your family.

1. Memory loss of recent or new information
Memory loss is the telltale sign of dementia. If your loved one can’t hold new information, yet they can easily access old memories, this could be an early warning sign.

Just remember that there must be a pattern. Their memory loss has to be quite frequent. If your loved one consistently doesn’t remember something you just talked about, you may need to schedule a screen for dementia.

2. Worsening judgment
Older folks with dementia may show poor judgment that seems out of character. For example, your cautious loved one may start taking unnecessary risks with money. They may begin simply making unexpected bad choices. This could be a sign of early dementia.

Decline in judgment, combined with memory issues, can feel frustrating. Remember that your loved one is only acting on the knowledge the have access to in the current moment.

3. Misplacing things
This sign of dementia is fairly straightforward, but again, it must be a consistent behavior. If you’ve noticed that your loved one has a recent pattern of misplacing things like keys, credit cards, glasses, and other every day objects, try to observe further.

It’s not unusual for people to become more forgetful as they age. Memory lapses happen to everyone. But misplacing items regularly is behavior that can indicate that your loved one is struggling with memory.

4. Confusion about time or place
Another sign of dementia is getting lost driving or feeling lost in the midst of ordinary life. Perhaps your loved one has gone looking for an old home they used to live in or an office they used to work in. If they’re not quite sure how they managed to end up somewhere, this could be a sign that they’re struggling to retain new information.

In the same way, they may see a close relative or friend and not recognize them. This could be because they’re looking for the younger version of that person, as that memory is accessible to them. For example, if your loved one is looking for the young version of an adult child, this could be a sign of dementia.

5. Loss of initiation
Has your loved one stopped doing the things they used to love? Perhaps they attended church every Sunday for years. Or, maybe they were involved in community groups or hobbies that they’ve gradually lost interest in.

This behavior could indicate depression, or it could be an early sign of dementia. They may be struggling to move from the thought to the action needed to follow through on something, but no longer have clarity about how to sequence through certain events.

Helping Seniors Live Independently in Metro Atlanta

If you have questions about homecare during early dementia, please contact us. We are here to answer your questions and match you with a compassionate caregiver.