Onset Indications of Dementia-related Diseases Can Vary

The Signs Are the Signs, but …

Many adult Americans are familiar of what dementia-related signs to watch for when visiting elderly loved ones, but what they may not realize is that the onset indications of a dementia-related disease can vary from person to person.

At this time in the United States, as many as 6 million citizens currently are suffering from Alzheimer’s or one of many dementia-related diseases. Lawmakers in many states, including West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania have investigated what their respective state governments are doing to assist the involved family members.

In the Mountain State, more than a dozen legislators have suggested state tax breaks for family caregivers to ease the financial burden of lost employment compensation, however, the proposal failed to make it to the forefront and will likely be placed on hold until 2020 since Legislature’s regular session ends soon. It’s important that family members remain diligent with observing their elderly relatives.

Here are few lessons to learn before posing those difficult questions to elderly loved ones:

Lesson #1 – The first sign is not always memory loss, for some, the beginning might involve feeling disorientated more often than before, or a lack of physical activity that was once very common.

Lesson #2 – Sudden changes with a loved one’s habits may be a sign if agitation linked to confusion. For example, if your father regularly kept a financial ledger to manage the family budget but suddenly stopped, a family member might want to learn more about that decision.

Lesson #3 – Cognitive decline is common with those suffering from a dementia-related disease, but the effects of an ever-changing brain can range from hallucinations to paranoia, and even memory loss.

Lesson #4 – The Virtual Dementia Tour (VDT), developed by Second Wind Dreams, allows tour takers to realize the difficulties of Dementia. Common tasks such as opening a medication container or putting a belt around a waist becomes unmanageable. Right at Home are facilitators of the VDT and present the tour to audiences in Morgantown and Wheeling.

A group of Wheeling Central Catholic High School students are scheduled to experience the VDT this Wednesday morning, with their reactions being shared later that day on The Watchdog Network (AM 1600 WKKX and AM 1370 WVLY) in Wheeling.

The students’ reactions will likely prove as varied, just as the initial signs of onset dementia do.