Alzheimer’s Society Reports An Unusual Sign of Dementia You Should Know

Dementia affects more than 1.4 million Americans but doesn’t have the notoriety of Alzheimer’s disease. It’s flown under the radar of many medical experts, and can be difficult to treat at an early stage, so patients are often misdiagnosed or wait several years to get the correct diagnosis.

Most people link the development of dementia with memory loss but there are also a subset of symptoms tied to memory loss.

For example, memory loss can make a person to get lost and struggle to find their way home after going for a walk, said the Alzheimer’s Society (AS).

• Neuroscience Breakthrough: Study Pinpoints Brain Activity That Helps Prevent Us From Getting Lost
• Brief Anger Hampers Blood Vessel Function Leading to Increased Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke – New Study
• New Blood Test Pinpoints Future Stroke Risk – Study Identifies Inflammatory Molecules as Key Biomarker
• Enceladus: A Potential Haven for Extraterrestrial Life in its Hidden Ocean Depths
• New Experiment: Dark Matter Is Not As ‘DARK’ As All We Think

Memory loss and orientation problems may also cause someone to repeatedly walk around the house or leave the house at any time of day or night, explains the AS.

The main symptom can therefore cause unusual behavioural changes that may signal the onset of dementia.

As the AS highlighted, a person with dementia might walk about for a number of other reasons too.

The reasons may not be obvious – when you ask them, the person may not remember or be able to tell you.

Other key sign to watch out for

• Getting less than six hours sleep a night increases the risk of Alzheimer’s by almost a third
• New Study Says This Condition Increases Incidence of Dementia
• Dementia: The habit that makes us “lose” our mind
• These are the 12 behaviors you can change to prevent dementia
• Dementia: Two effective tricks to enhance memory

Dementia symptoms may include problems with:

• Thinking speed
• Mental sharpness and quickness
• Language, such as using words incorrectly, or trouble speaking
• Understanding
• Judgement
• Mood
• Movement
• Difficulties doing daily activities.

They may also find social situations difficult and lose interest in relationships and socialising.

While there’s no certain way to prevent all types of dementia, as researchers are still investigating how the condition develops, Alzheimer’s Research UK points out that:

Risk factors for cardiovascular disease (like high blood pressure and stroke) are also risk factors for dementia, so what is good for your heart is good for your brain.

• Getting less than six hours sleep a night increases the risk of Alzheimer’s by almost a third
• New Study Says This Condition Increases Incidence of Dementia
• Dementia: The habit that makes us “lose” our mind
• These are the 12 behaviors you can change to prevent dementia
• Dementia: Two effective tricks to enhance memory

• Keep cholesterol and blood pressure under control
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Eat a healthy balanced diet
• Drink fewer than 14 units of alcohol per week.

“Regularly challenging yourself mentally seems to build up the brain’s ability to cope with disease,” explains the AS.

According to the health body, you should find something you like doing that challenges your brain and do it regularly.

For example:

• Neuroscience Breakthrough: Study Pinpoints Brain Activity That Helps Prevent Us From Getting Lost
• Brief Anger Hampers Blood Vessel Function Leading to Increased Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke – New Study
• New Blood Test Pinpoints Future Stroke Risk – Study Identifies Inflammatory Molecules as Key Biomarker
• Enceladus: A Potential Haven for Extraterrestrial Life in its Hidden Ocean Depths
• New Experiment: Dark Matter Is Not As ‘DARK’ As All We Think

• Study for a qualification or course, or just for fun
• Learn a new language
• Do puzzles, crosswords or quizzes
• Play card games or board games
• Read challenging books or write (fiction or non-fiction).