Early Dementia Behavior

The early signs of dementia can often be misleading as they mimic other disorders. However, recognizing dementia early will help with the treatment of this disease.

Memory Loss

• The earliest sign of dementia is usually memory loss. This may include forgetting the date or time of previously discussed events. It may also include forgetting the location of once familiar places or not recognizing the face of a loved one.

Social Behavior

• The behavior of someone suffering from dementia may be described as odd. They may disregard their surroundings by displaying inappropriate behavior such as using profanity or exposing themselves in public.

Daily Activities

• People suffering from dementia often have trouble with simple daily tasks such as balancing a checkbook or writing a letter. They may frequently lose items or show an increased difficulty in other household tasks such as doing laundry or going to the bathroom.

Diagnosis

• A health-care professional may first have the patient do simple tasks such as drawing a clock, or counting back from 100 in groups of nine. The doctor may ask the patient to perform simple memory tasks. For example, the doctor might list simple words such as blue, basket or bounce, and then ask the patient to repeat these words later.

Laboratory Testing

• Several different tests help diagnose dementia. These include an MRI or CT scan to check for any vascular abnormalities such as a stroke that may contribute to dementia symptoms. Several other tests are used to rule out the symptoms of dementia such as a thyroid hormone exam or blood tests to rule out vitamin deficiency or the presence of other toxins in the body.