Mailbox Response

The question was submitted 21/08/2007

Subject: Start of dementia

Hi, My mum is 84 years old in December. She has always been a very strong lady and raised 4 children by herself as my dad died at the age of 40. She is suddenly becoming forgetful and a bit confused about things. She is worse when there are a lot of people around. Do you think this is just old age? I would like to know how the first signs of dementia become apparant. Can anyone provide me some feedback regarding their own experiences?

Answer from DementiaNet

Old age is often associated with some subtle changes in brain function. However, it does not cause deterioration in a person’s ability to go about their daily activities. A common erroneous assumption is that changes in the health of an elderly person is simply due to old age. Your mother’s confusion and forgetfulness should be assessed first by her GP and then possibly by a specialist. A memory test will need to be done and possibly a scan of the brain. The first symptoms of dementia can be minor deficits in recall of recent events and conversations. So repetition of questions or comments can occur. Disorganisation with complex tasks is often noticed eg driving, operating household equipment or paying bills.

The answer was published on DementiaNet 22/08/2007