Dementia is a cognitive disease that refers to the gradual loss of cognitive functioning. Dementia affects the way patients think, remember, and solve problems. The disease can be extraordinarily difficult to navigate, regardless of if their suffering from dementia and use seniors fall detect life alert systems while living at home, those in independent living accommodation for the elderly, and for their caregivers. While there is no cure, great medical alert systems can bring peace of mind and ongoing treatment can help to manage the symptoms. Patients with dementia can suffer from many early warning signs, such as:

1. Speech and communication issues
Patients living with dementia frequently struggle with regular speech and communication. Their thoughts may be disrupted, and the ability to recognize an object and assign it a name to it may be impaired. Speech therapy can mitigate these symptoms, to a degree, especially in an environment that provides community or assisted living for people with dementia.

2. Behavioral changes
As discussed, dementia patients often show alarming variations in behavior. Their inhibitions may be limited, and their personalities can change drastically. Doctors refer to “sundowning”, as  a pattern of restlessness and aggression coinciding with nightfall, is a common time for this symptom to manifest.

3. Increased confusion about time and place
Dementia patients, already struggling with memory issues and behavioral changes, can lose the ability to recognize their surroundings or connect those memories to their current experience in any meaningful way. They may lose track of their sense of home and belonging; the lack of continuity in their minds prevents them from accurately perceiving the passage of time. This sense of confusion can amplify the effects of the other symptoms, causing rapid shifts in mood and temperament.

4. Memory loss
With the loss of behavioral control and object recognition often comes a related struggle with memory. People living with dementia are often forgetful. This forgetfulness often escalates over time, causing difficulty both in the formation of short-term memory and the accurate recall of longer-term experiences. Memory problems can also isolate the patient, leaving them increasingly stranded in a bubble of present experiences without broader context or connections.

5. Problem solving difficulties
As dementia progresses, patients can demonstrate increasing difficulty with problem-solving. Their ability to focus may be impaired, along with their sense of reason. The struggles relating to their memory loss can prevent dementia patients from learning new skills, absorbing related facts, or recalling information and methods relating to the problem at hand.

Ongoing treatment and care can go a long way in preventing dementia symptoms from worsening. If living at home is no longer an option, many caregivers opt for options for senior living or a great call alert system, which are location devices for seniors with Alzheimer’s or dementia who may wander. If the patient needs continual supervision, local assisted living for people with dementia may help loved ones manage this difficult disease.