Depression, nutritional deficiencies, side-effects from medications and emotional distress can all produce symptoms that can be mistaken as early signs of dementia, such as communication and memory difficulties and behavioural changes.

Why would a person with dementia regress to a previous time?

There is a link between the perception of time and memory function in those with dementia. Family members often report their loved ones with dementia sometimes live in the past, even reverting back to first languages. This is because memory is not just one process in the brain, but a collection of different systems.

What disorder is most often misdiagnosed as dementia?

Lewy body dementia (LBD) is the most misdiagnosed form of dementia, taking on average more than 18 months and three doctors to receive a correct diagnosis.

Can a person with dementia make their own decisions?

This means that you are assumed to have capacity to make your own decisions unless someone can prove that you do not. Just having a family member or non- professional person claiming that you do not have capacity, is not enough for you to be prevented from making your own decisions.

Is it normal to be forgetful with Alzheimer’s?

Many people worry about becoming forgetful. They think forgetfulness is the first sign of Alzheimer’s disease. But not all people with memory problems have Alzheimer’s. Share this infographic and help spread the word about what memory problems are normal and not.

When does memory loss become a warning sign of dementia?

When memory loss becomes so pervasive and severe that it disrupts your work, hobbies, social activities, and family relationships, you may be experiencing the warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease, or another disorder that causes dementia, or a condition that mimics dementia.

Can a bilingual person delay the onset of dementia?

According to a review of research, multiple studies have shown a delay in Alzheimer’s and dementia symptoms in those who were bilingual. On average, people who were bilingual developed symptoms of dementia at an average age of five years older than those who spoke only one language.