In the race to find a cure for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, scientists from around the world continue to publish research on the common symptoms. Recognizing these early signs of cognitive decline can lead to earlier diagnosis and intervention, potentially slowing the progression of the disease.
With this in mind, the UK’s largest effort dedicated to dementia, The Alzheimer’s Society, has partnered with The Royal College of General Practitioners to release a new checklist of common symptoms. This important document can help everyone, including Americans, spot the early signs of dementia that often go ignored.
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The Early Signs of Dementia
The Alzheimer’s Society’s new checklist features 16 distinct symptoms in three categories that could signal early onset dementia. The checklist is meant to be an exercise for the average person to complete and share with their doctor, and having any of these symptoms does not mean an official diagnosis.
“Everyone experiences dementia in their own way,” The Alzheimer’s Society explains. “This checklist includes common signs of dementia. But there can be other reasons for any changes you’ve noticed.”
The first and largest category of symptoms is “Memory and mental ability problems.” This includes signs such as:
- “Memory loss – difficulty learning new
information or forgetting recent events
or people’s names” - “Struggling to find the right word”
- “Difficulty judging distances or mistaking reflections or patterns for other objects”
- “Struggling to make decisions, or making careless or risky decisions”
- “Losing track of time and dates”
- “Asking the same question over again, or repeating phrases”
- “Putting objects in unusual places”
For some, this can manifest as having difficulty following the correct steps of a recipe or dish they used to know by heart.
For others, this can develop as a reduced speech speed. A 2024 study by researchers at The University of Toronto found that slower talking could reflect weaker functioning in the brain more than just struggling to find the right words.
“This suggests that talking speed should be tested as part of standard cognitive assessments to help clinicians detect cognitive decline faster and help older adults support their brain health as they age,” said study co-author Dr. Jed Meltzer at the time. However, speech speed wasn’t indicated on the above
Other Signs to Pay Attention to
“Problems with daily living activities” and “Mood and behavior problems” were the other two categories included in The Alzheimer’s Society’s checklist of early symptoms.
If you find you or a loved one has been having trouble getting enough sleep or completing simple tasks, or if you’re irritable, depressed, or acting out of character, these are all signs that something may be going on cognitively.
Not on the checklist was the symptom concerning a person’s sense of smell. In 2022, University of Chicago researchers found that a rapid decline in the ability to smell could predict a loss in cognitive function.
“Sense of smell and change in the sense of smell should be one important component in the context of an array of factors that we believe affect the brain in health and aging,” explained senior author Jayant M. Pinto, a professor of surgery at the University of Chicago who studies olfactory and sinus disease.
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When to Take Action
Of course, any of these symptoms on their own may just be temporary. However, if they start happening more frequently and regularly, it could be cause for concern, doctors say.
The worst thing you can do is ignore these symptoms. Early detection allows for timely interventions, which can improve your quality of life and potentially slow the progression of disease.
So, use checklists like The Alzheimer’s Society’s, or write your own symptoms down and make an appointment with your doctor to discuss them. They can arrange a brain scan, which is the only way to confirm cognitive decline.
If you’re over 45, it’s also important to know that the biggest risk factors for dementia include physical inactivity, hearing loss, obesity, and hypertension.
That’s why scientists and doctors alike recommend doing simple activities every day to keep your brain and body active, which include exercising, socializing, playing brain games, getting quality sleep, following a healthy diet, and keeping up with your annual health checkups.
Content shared from bestlifeonline.com.