Dementia

Dementia Signs and Symptoms

There are many signs and symptoms of dementia, a destructive illness that we should be aware of.  The exact cause of dementia is unknown.  Let’s review some of the signs and symptoms obtained from the Oak Street Health Information Website. Risk Factors are as follows:

Non-Modifiable

• Age-strongest risk factor, most cases are in individuals over 65 years of age.
• Family History-most likely to develop if you have parents or siblings with the disease
• Race/Ethnicity-African Americans and Hispanics are fifteen times more likely to develop this disease than whites.

Modifiable

• Alcohol use-Excessive drinking can increase risk.
• Diabetes-Increases the risk of heart disease and stroke which increases the risk of dementia.
• Traumatic Brain injury—Especially true if injuries are severe and happen repeatedly.

Signs and Symptoms

Symptoms vary from person to person. Symptoms generally revolve around problems with memory, attention, communication, reasoning, judgment, problem-solving, and visual perception. These may include:

• Confusion, memory loss, poor judgment, and impulsivity
• Hallucinations, delusion, paranoia
• Problems with speaking, understanding, completing thoughts
• Difficulty reading and writing, repeating questions
• Using unusual words to refer to objects
• Getting lost or wandering around in familiar areas
• Trouble paying bills, being slower than normal in completing daily tasks
• Losing interest in activities, not caring about people’s feelings
• Problems with balance and movement

There may be many of us that know or know of someone’s friend or relative that has this condition. Let us better understand what we can do to help our friends and relatives navigate this devastating disease in a more informed manner. If you happen to be sixty-five years of age or older, please stay active, engaged, and aware to continue to live a happy, healthy, productive life. Peace and love.  Thumbs up, like, and share.

Marvin Dixon, Founder

vmgreview.com