How can I tell if my mother has dementia?

Dementia patients have different symptoms that are usually easy to notice. They forget things more often than it's considered normal to. They might sometimes not recognize or forget the names of their close friends and family members. They might seem to have hallucinations (for example my grandfather used to say that there are green aliens on the balcony with cameras, filming him), they might forget where they are and who they are. They might seem disoriented, get lost in the streets of a small town they have been living in for decades. In early stages of dementia it is usually hard to tell whether person has symptoms or not, before symptoms get really bad, but if you are a very close family member (like their child) you must be able to notice such changes in their behavior.

First of all, I am very sorry you have to go through this. It can be hard to see a loved one go through signs of aging and illness, no matter who you are. Some symptoms of dementia include forgetfulness, and impairment in communication, logic, memory, and reasoning. Since you are asking this question, I can easily presume that you must recognize these symptoms or other ones in your mother. The best thing to do would be to make sure she goes to the doctor as soon as possible to get their diagnosis and advice. Wishing you much luck

I'm sorry you have to worry about that. You best bet is to contact her doctor or the Alzheimer's association, they can give you better information than I can. Here are a couple of things to look at though. How is her memory? Does she remember the past better than what happened yesterday? Does she ask you the same question over and over? Does she ever seem confused or disoriented? Those can be clues. But remember, Alzheimer's is not the only thing that can cause those issues. Your doctor is really the best place to start.

It's best to always contact the specialist, only a specialist can properly diagnose her. Observe your mother and talk with her about different topics like old memories, friends, family. If you notice she keeps forgetting easy to remember things or facts it's a sign to see a specialist. She might also struggle to find an answer and take way too long thinking about it. If you notice that your mother forgets where she put stuff, where are her things she always remembers about it's another sign to see a specialist. I would advise you to see a specialist even if it's hard to tell by yourself if she has one or not.

There are a couple of different things you can look for if you think your mother has dementia. First thing is telling the same stories over and over again, not remembering telling them. Asking the same questions over and over again. If she is not able to remember directions or you have to tell her directions one by one. If she does not really have a concept of time. If she is unable to recognize people or places she has been to a lot. If she is not taking care of herself or her home. Significant changes in her judgement. Difficulty communicating with others, and if her attention span has changed. Maybe see if you are able to answer those questions and see if you should have her checked out by a medical professional.

She will exhibit signs of forgetting. This may be in terms of memory, or it may be just simple daily tasks. Often individuals who have dementia also misplace things or forget how to certain tasks. Another sign of dementia is when the individual has difficulty of where they last placed something. Misplacing things is also a very common sign of dementia. Medically, ECG's are able to assess for grey matter in the brain and allows doctors to inform clients of whether the case of dementia is present in an individual. Following on from which, treatment should be considered for the client.

Finding out a loved one is being diagnosed with dementia is difficult. A medical diagnosis, such as going and seeing a provider or physician may be the best way to determine if the dementia is present. You can bring any concerns that you have and any symptoms that you are noticing with your mother to report to the physician. However you decide to go through with determining a diagnosis, I hope you feel supported. This can be a challenging time for both you and your mom. I can imagine this is stressful for you and wish you all of the best!

I usually don't give straight up advice on this, but I'm going to make an exception. If you suspect your mom has dementia, I'd recommend seeing if you can get her to see a doctor. I'd suggest a soft approach, like saying you've noticed her memory or other things you've noticed and you think she should get checked to see if she's maybe deficient in something. The possibility of dementia can be really scary, especially to the person themselves, so making it clear there are other things it could be might make her feel safer about acknowledging thay she's been feeling off. I know 100% what you are going through - I went through it with my mom. You know her best, so whatever you think is the best way to get her to get seen by a doctor - that's what I would do. If it is dementia, it can also get harder to convince them to do things over time.

Proper medical examination and diagnosis will only help you in understanding the underlying conditions for an individual. Observing symptoms could be one way to self-diagnose a condition but then those symptoms maybe related to other medical conditions as well, so it's always better if a medical professional does the examination and give the right diagnosis. Hope this helps!

A doctor. A professional. Someone who is actually trained and qualified to diagnose dementia can help you with this. There are definitely signs you can look out for, and things to mention to the doctor. But the best thing to do is stop stressing unnecessarily and just make an appointment to alleviate all concerns. Even if the result isn't what you're hoping for, at least you know have some closure and see what the next best steps would be. Early signs of dementia include Cognitive: mental decline, confusion in the evening hours, disorientation, inability to speak or understand language, making things up, mental confusion, or inability to recognize common things Behavioral: irritability, personality changes, restlessness, lack of restraint, or wandering and getting lost Mood: anxiety, loneliness, mood swings, or nervousness Psychological: depression, hallucination, or paranoia Muscular: inability to combine muscle movements or unsteady walking Also common: memory loss, falling, jumbled speech, or sleep disorder