Dementia: know the signs
Spending time with your family at Christmas may also be the time when you notice that friends and family you haven’t seen for a while are struggling with memory and everyday tasks.
If you are worried about a friend or family member, encourage them to seek help as soon as possible.
What signs should I look for?
The symptoms include:
• struggling to remember recent events, but easily recalling things that happened in the past
• difficulty in following conversations or programmes on TV
• forgetting names of friends or everyday objects
• repeating things or losing track of what’s being said
• having problems thinking or reasoning
• feeling anxious, depressed or angry about memory loss
• feeling confused, even when in a familiar environment
What is dementia?
Dementia is not a single illness but a group of symptoms caused by damage to the brain. The most common cause is Alzheimer’s disease, but it can also be the result of a stroke or mini-strokes.
Dementia is progressive, which means that the symptoms will get worse over time. Although there is no cure for dementia there are a number of effective treatments that can help people to cope better with their symptoms and improve their quality of life.
For more information about dementia, click here.
What should I do?
If you’re worried about your memory, or that of a loved one, contact your GP. If you are in Gloucestershire you can contact our Managing Memory 2gether on 0800 694 8800 or click here for more information.