3 Signs Your Parent Might Be Developing Dementia Or Alzheimer's

Posted on: 17 May 2017

More than 5 million Americans are currently suffering from Alzheimer's, which is a disease that can be devastating. As people age, the risks for developing this condition and similar ones increases, but there is not a lot that can be done to prevent memory loss problems or treat them. If you suspect that your parent might be developing a memory loss condition, you should look for the following three signs.

Does your parent ask the same questions repeatedly?

When a person asks a question, they may forget they asked and may ask again, but typically they will not repeatedly ask the exact same questions. If your parent asks you something, and then asks again and again, this could be a sign of a memory loss disorder. You may want to start paying more attention to this when you are talking with your parent, as this can be one of the first signs of Alzheimer's or dementia.

Is your parent having trouble with daily tasks?

A second sign of memory loss problems is the inability to complete normal tasks. This does not refer to things your parent has trouble doing from a lack of good mobility, such as getting dressed or vacuuming the floor; this refers more to simple tasks your parent is having trouble with. For example, has your parent suddenly forgot how to play a card game he or she has played for years? Does your parent ask you how to work the microwave or remote control every single day? If your parent is struggling to do simple tasks like these, it could be due to a loss of memory.

Have you noticed a decrease in your parent's ability to make good decisions?

One other common sign of memory loss is the inability to make good decisions. In other words, is your parent demonstrating poor judgment? For example, has he or she recently purchased way more food, clothing, or supplies than what is needed? Was this purchase very unusual? It's things like this that can happen when people begin suffering from memory loss. They may begin to do unusual things, and things that are out of their character.

If you believe that your parent might be suffering from the initial stages of any type of memory loss condition, you may want to encourage him or her to visit a doctor. To learn more about this, contact a health clinic, like Brain Matters Research, in your area today.

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