According to Aging Care, the disease starts out slowly. The symptoms caused from dementia can include anxiety, hallucinations, fear, loneliness, nightmares, and confusion. “One may experience memory problems and forgetfulness.” And a person might’ve had dementia for up to 10 years before being officially diagnosed. But most of all, and what freaks me out the most, is that memory loss CAN be a sign. This is especially true if you:
- Struggle to remember recent events, although you can easily recall things from the past
- Find it hard to follow conversations or programmes on TV
- Forget the names of close friends or everyday objects
- Struggle to recall things you have heard, seen, or read recently
- Regularly lose the thread of what you are saying
- Find yourself putting objects in unusual places – such as your keys in the fridge
- Feel confused, even in a familiar place, or get lost on familiar journeys
- Find that people start to notice or comment on your memory, or lack thereof
I mean, I think I can check off at least half the list, although it might just be due to lack of sleep and stress. But then when you go down the Google rabbit hole you start to realize that lack of sleep is a huge factor in the onset of dementia.