Signs that Dementia Now Requires Senior Care or Senior Care Services

Watching a loved one become frustrated due to an inability to perform tasks that they have always done is heartbreaking. Making the decision to invite senior care services into your home becomes a sensitive subject. Families do not want loved ones exhibiting signs of dementia to feel like they are being discarded, so they procrastinate and avoid the subject of home care services. Dealing with people suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s is tough enough without drawing out the transition to home health services.

Some people may not be aware of the early signs related to dementia that signal the search for senior care services. This guide will help you recognize those early signs so that arrangements for dementia care services can be made for the comfort of all.

Memory Loss

Memory loss that disrupts day-to-day life is an early sign of dementia. Do you find a loved one asking the same questions or repeating the same information repeatedly as though they are saying it for the first time or that they can’t quite grasp the answer? This is a signal to have you loved one checked out.

Critical Thinking

Does a loved one experience difficulty in planning or solving common problems? This is an early sign of dementia. An example of this would be; during a trip to neighborhood grocery store, a place that your family has been going to for years, your loved one has a hard time navigating the aisles and finding the desired items.

Difficulty Completing the Known

A loved one who cannot complete an activity that they have successfully done for years, like tying their shoes or fixing dinner, could be experiencing a form of dementia.

Loss of Time or Location

We all have an autopilot that helps us navigate life when were tired but we maintain a sense of time and place. When a loved one loses track of time or fails to realize their location they are experiencing sign of dementia.

Misjudging Visuals

Frequent misjudging of visual images and spatial relationships are also a sign of dementia. For example; you misstep on a curb because they were sure it was closer or backing into a vehicle after glancing in the side-view mirror believing that the other car was farther away.

Vocal and Thinking Challenges

A loss for words can be a sign of dementia. While we all experience a lost thought from time to time, frequently lost thoughts and words can highlight a problem. For instance, when a loved one is asking for the salt to be passed, they will point to it and ask for the “white thing” more often than not.

Misplacing Items

The frequent misplacement of items in odd places is an early sign of dementia. A loved one can’t find their glasses or wallet and a thorough search of the usual places does not reveal it, however, the glasses are found in the freezer or the wallet is found in the medicine cabinet with your loved one having no recollection of how they got there.

Decreased Judgment

A common sign of dementia is a decreased judgment. An example of this would be; a telemarketer calls and your loved one spends a large amount of money on something they never would have before.

Self Isolation

A slow and quiet withdrawal from favored activities, friends, and family is a signal of dementia. When a loved one ceases to attend the church that have gone to for years or stops getting together with friends for that weekly luncheon, it is worth paying attention to.

Not the Same Person

If your loved one becomes suddenly moody or no longer seems to be the person you have known all your life then it is a signal that dementia may have set in. Abrupt personality changes are a big red flag. For instance, becoming quickly angered when a drink is spilled when normally the person would simply clean it up and go on is a noticeable change.

When signs like these become more apparent, it is imperative that your loved one be diagnosed. In the early stages it is easier to begin home senior care services to establish a familiar routine instead of waiting for uncontrollable moments in which to consider it.