According to the Alzheimer’s Organization, people under the age of 65 are considered ‘young’ to be experiencing signs of dementia. Other terms that are often used are ‘young-onset dementia’ and ‘working age dementia’. The diagnosis for dementia in younger people can often take a long time to detect because of the awareness of the symptoms as well as recognizing that people are unfortunately detecting dementia when they are younger.
The following are three different signs to detect whether you or a loved one may be suffering from dementia at a younger age.
• Difficulty with money and handling numbers. We are not talking about just forgetting that you spent an extra fifty dollars on dinner and drinks the week before. We are talking about an excessive forgetfulness to either pay bills that you used to always pay on time, and numbers are not coming to you as easy as they used too.
• Increasing difficulties with handling tasks and activities. Sometimes we all feel overwhelmed with the everyday tasks we must accomplish, but this should not be a constant struggle. These difficulties often arise when it involves either organization or planning.
• Changes in both personality and mood. If you or your loved one used to be an easy-going, fun-loving person and over a short period of time that changes, dementia could be the cause of that. People suffering from dementia are often easily irritated and have a short temper. This is because they are starting to lose a grasp on many aspects of their life, so try and have patience.
Resources: http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=164
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/09/10/dementia-how-to-spot-the-symptoms_n_3898322.html
