Problems with Disorientation

We’ve all experienced the disappointment of spending part of the day thinking it’s Friday, only to remember later that it’s only, in fact, Thursday. Dementia patients have a greater difficulty with disorientation in place and time. They may lose track of dates or seasons or forget where they are or how they got there.

Difficulty Completing Familiar Tasks

Your favorite hobby is like riding a bicycle; it becomes second nature. However, for a patient with dementia, even the most familiar tasks can be a challenge. Directions to a favorite restaurant become jumbled, or the rules of a favorite game become unfamiliar. If you or a loved one begins struggling with common tasks, this may be an early warning sign of dementia.

Challenges in Planning or Solving Problems

The hectic pace of daily life and work or home stresses can sometimes make concentrating on other activities more of a challenge. However, a person with dementia may have difficulty remembering and following a favorite recipe, or she may have difficulty formulating and following plans, such as the layout for an annual spring vegetable garden or completing a woodworking project, when this was previously a regular hobby.

Trouble Understanding Visual Images and Spatial Relationships

Vision problems and spatial relationships are another early sign of dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s. Patients may walk past a mirror and think that someone else is in the room, or not recognize themselves in the mirror. They may also have difficulty judging distance or determining color contrast, which can lead to problems with driving.

Misplacing Things and Losing the Ability to Retrace Steps

We’ve all lost our keys or set something down in an unusual place when we’re busy or distracted, but dementia sufferers find themselves putting things in strange places (e.g., putting keys in the refrigerator) and are then unable to retrace their steps to find them. They may accuse others of stealing things that they’ve lost.