Dementia Explained : 4 Warning Signs and 3 Care Tips

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Dementia Explained
4 Warning Signs & 3 Care Tips

Dementia is one big health problem in life that can take over your body and disrupt the way you live. Similarly, there are many issues that can disrupt your cognitive abilities and really make things difficult for you.
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Dementia is one of the most common disorders affecting our brain. It affects millions of people around the world.
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The daily stresses of the modern 21st century world we live in can be one big contributory cause of dementia.
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Another possible contributory cause could be the modern diet comprising refined, processed and genetically-modified foods that has become the norm today. Coupled with bad eating habits, it’s a cocktail for many degenerative disease. What we really need is healthy brain food for our brains to function at their optimal levels.
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It’s a problem that doesn’t get a lot of attention as people don’t see it as a life-threatening problem like they do with other diseases like cancer and cardiovascular/heart disease.
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However, it can wreak havoc on the life of anyone who is unlucky enough to suffer from it. Furthermore, it’s unique in the sense that most people will get dementia at some point. Your chances greatly increase when you get older, but you can still get it at any age.
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The purpose of this article is to explain dementia in as much detail as possible. I’ll tell you the warning signs to look out for in yourself and others. I’ve also included advice for looking after and caring for others with this issue.

Dementia Explained: What Exactly Is Dementia?

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Contrary to what you might believe, dementia itself isn’t actually an illness or disease. Instead, it’s a disorder which affects your brain and changes the way you think and remember things.
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People get dementia as the result of other diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
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As for Alzheimer’s disease, one can take precautionary measures well in advance to reduce the risks of getting it by exercising and stimulating the brain and mind.
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Additionally, a diet comprising real food is a must for preventive purposes. Macronutrients including proteins, carbohydrates and fats in optimal portions are necessary.
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Sadly today we live in a world where processed foods are the norm, especially for those born into such a culture. Malnutrition, digestive disorders and diseases resulting from a diet of such processed ‘foods’ can contribute to cognitive decline leading to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
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The Warning Signs Of Dementia

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Dementia comes on slowly and gets worse over time. When symptoms are spotted in the early days, you can take steps to try and make life as easy as possible for the afflicted person.
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Below, you will find 4 warning signs to look out for in you or other people:
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1. Memory Loss

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Memory loss is one of the biggest and earliest signs that you have dementia. Of course, most of us may struggle to remember things on a daily basis, and it might have nothing to do with this disorder.
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So, how do you tell if your memory loss is linked to dementia?
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It’s really quite simple. Dementia memory loss is more concerned with the short-term. In essence, someone with dementia may have vivid memories from the past, but struggle to remember things that happened recently.
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So, if short-term memory loss hasn’t been a problem and it suddenly becomes one, you may have early signs of dementia.
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2. Mood Changes/Personality Shifts

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This is where things get interesting as most people just assume dementia means you lose your memory. As such, the other warning signs may be present and go unnoticed.
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One of the biggest signs of dementia is that your mood changes. You stop being who you used to be and you end up going into bad moods where you feel down about yourself.
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This is also one of the easiest symptoms to spot in other people. If you have a relative or friend who’s always cheerful and they’re suddenly very down and depressed, then dementia could be the cause. This can be particularly so if other symptoms are present too.
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3. Feeling Confused

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With a disorder like dementia, it’s easy to become confused. The dementia patient struggles to make sense of the world around them.
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This links in heavily with the first warning sign of memory loss. When you start to lose your short-term memory, you become very confused. You may end up wondering how you got somewhere. You may become very confused when someone visits and you forget who they are.
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4. Problems Completing Tasks

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The final warning sign is having difficulty completing tasks. People who suffer from dementia will struggle to complete tasks they used to have no problem with.
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If you, or someone you know, start finding it hard to do things that used to come easily to you/them, then dementia may be the source of the problem.
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There are other smaller signs of dementia, but these are the biggest and easiest to spot. Dementia is a disorder that’s likely to affect you in old age.
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However, you should always be aware of the signs in case a family member starts to suffer from it.
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Looking After Someone With Dementia
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If this is the case, and a family member shows signs of dementia, you need to know how to look after them and make their life easy.
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Below are 3 tips for caring for others with a Dementia / Alzheimer’s disorder.
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1. Get Professional Help For Them

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If someone suffers with very bad dementia, you might now have the time or knowledge to look after you. In such a case, you can look for professional help.
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There are institutions which take in in dementia patients, bringing them into a home which is dedicated to memory care. The dementia patient will be around professionals who can help them cope with their problems and train their brain every day.
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2. Ask Simple Questions

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If you’re living with someone who has dementia, you need to be careful not to ask too many difficult questions. Doing so can cause them to trigger their memory loss. This leads to confusion and makes them feel really upset.
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Instead, ask simple questions they can easily answer. It makes them feel like they’re part of the conversation, and you stop them from triggering any symptoms.
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3. Always Be Supportive and Patient
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People with dementia are really trying to remember things properly. So, when they’re trying to recall something and are struggling to get certain aspects right, be supportive of them.
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Respond positively and fill in the blanks, but also be patient.
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Don’t keep cutting across them and being forceful in your response as though you’re annoyed they can’t remember. This will only cause them to feel worse about themselves.

The sad thing about dementia is there’s not a lot you can do to stop it. The second two tips are really important when someone is in the early stages of dementia. When things get worse and worse, it’s handy to revert to the first tip and find professional help.

Hopefully, this article has helped you understand one of the world’s biggest mental health problems. In doing so, you can now spot dementia and understand how to look after someone with it.
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