The first noticeable symptom of Bruce Willis’ dementia has been shared by his wife Emma this week, leading to a conversation about other changes to look out for.
Alzheimer’s Society, the UK’s leading dementia charity, says changes to speech is one of six possible signs of dementia to be aware of for people concerned about themselves or a loved one.
The charity highlights the importance for anyone who has regular problems with their memory or thinking to be assessed by a health professional, helping to dispel the common myth that symptoms are just a sign of old age.
Alzheimer’s Society has an online symptoms checklist, endorsed by the Royal College of GPs, to help people describe their symptoms to their health professional, helping to get a vital dementia diagnosis or establish if there’s other contributing health conditions.
Here are six other signs that might indicate dementia:
1. Memory loss
For someone with dementia, problems with memory and thinking get worse quicker than they would normally do with age, with noticeable decline over a period of months as opposed to years. For a doctor to diagnose someone with dementia, their symptoms must have become more frequent and have a significant impact on daily life.
2. Difficulty organising thoughts or staying focused
Familiar tasks they’ve done all their lives may start to get more difficult to do. They may also lose the ability to carry out tasks in the proper order, like trying to cook pasta before putting the water in. Equally, if a person finds that they’re making a lot of poor decisions – either because they can’t process information like they used to or because their personality seems to have changed a lot over just a few months – it could be a sign that they need to see their doctor.
There may also be times during a conversation where they get distracted or start zoning out – while it might leave someone a bit red-faced, it’s not necessarily a sign that anything’s wrong. However, if they keep forgetting the names of common objects, forgetting words or quickly losing the thread of what someone is saying, it could be a sign of dementia.
3. Problems using words or communicating
As people get older, it’s common to have trouble finding the right word occasionally. Most of the time this is a normal sign of ageing, especially if the word comes later. However, if someone is consistently struggling to communicate because they can’t remember commonly-used words, or they are putting words together in a way that doesn’t make sense, then this may be a sign that something is wrong.
4. Problems with vision
It’s totally normal for someone’s eyesight to not be as sharp as it was when they were younger. However, if they are still having issues reading text, even with glasses on, it might be worth them telling their GP. Some people with dementia have difficulty judging distances or seeing edges clearly, causing trips or falls. Dementia sometimes causes hallucinations or seeing, hearing or smelling things that aren’t there. This is most common in people living with dementia with Lewy bodies.
5. Getting confused about where you are or what time it is
If someone finds themselves getting lost in a familiar place or being unable to find their way home, this can also be a red flag, and they should mention it to their GP. Some people also experience ‘time shifts’ – for example, a person may think they’re still living in a previous home – particularly if it’s one where they felt most ‘at home’.
6. Changes in mood or personality
Nobody is expected to feel positive all the time but if someone is starting to become easily irritable, losing interest in things, or having extreme highs and lows, this may be a sign of dementia.
There are currently around one million people in the UK with dementia. This is projected to rise to 1.4 million people by 2040.
Alzheimer’s Society is a vital source of support for everyone affected by dementia. If you’re affected by dementia and need help, call Alzheimer’s Society’s support line on 0333 150 3456 or visit alzheimers.org.uk/checklist
