Dementia is a syndrome, not a specific disease. It can be caused from injuries, infections and or other diseases. However, dementia is a general term for memory loss, language, and problem-solving skills that impair thinking abilities that interfere with everyday life. Symptoms of dementia include memory loss, speech and language difficulties, confusion of time and place. Different types of dementia depend on the type of cell damage in particular parts of the brain.

Main types of dementia are Alzheimer disease, vascular dementia, and lewy body dementia. The risk factors for dementia are age and genetics. The risk of getting dementia greatly increases after the age of 65. After the age of 85, the risk greatly increases at least by 50%. Also, people who have a parent, sibling, or child diagnosed with Alzheimer’s dementia are more likely to develop dementia. Gender also plays a role in whether someone will get dementia. Studies have shown that women are at a higher risk. Early symptoms of dementia include:

1. Memory loss
Decreased memory is said to be the first sign of dementia. In people who have dementia, memory loss becomes clear over time to family and friends that their loved one’s memory issues are becoming more severe and persistent. Memory loss in people with experience changes in the way they think, behave, and feel. Memory loss in people with dementia experience it in different ways. Some people are able to retain certain skills for longer by recalling events that happened 30 years ago in great detail, but forgot the birthday party that they attended 5 hours ago and claim they never went.

2. Speech and language difficulties
A person who is experiencing difficulty in the early stages of dementia may experience problems speaking and or finding the right words to say and may have problems communicating their thoughts and needs. An example of this is my grandmother stammering over her words while trying to explain how she burned her hand on the stove.

3. Confusing time and place
Dementia can cause a person to become distant from others and may become unpredictable in their behavior when interacting with others. They often forget the current time and get lost in a familiar environment. Someone with dementia may not recognize their own house. They may think they are 22 yrs old when really they are 70.

There is no one test to determine if someone has dementia. It is harder to determine the exact type of dementia because the symptoms of the different types overlap. Dementia is diagnosed based on medical history, a physical examination, and laboratory tests. There is a pen and paper test called the SAGE test. It is an at-home pen-paper test that costs nothing. It is a 15-minute test and it can accurately identify symptoms of Alzheimer’s or dementia.