Are you seeking home care for an aging relative in Dallas? Call Home Instead Senior Care in Dallas at 972-239-3934.

A lot of people get very nervous when their relative starts to show signs of dementia or alzheimer’s and begins forgetting some basic things such as where they left their keys, checkbook or whether they turned the oven on. My mother was visiting for the holidays recently and left the stove on and completely forget. We realized it was on when we smelled something burning. My husband freaked out a little and whispered to me what happened when I got back home a little later.Since she is only 67 years old and has not been diagnosed with dementia I will not jump to any conclusions, but, since both of my grandparents suffered from Alzheimers I am of course worried about my mother when she starts to show any signs.

The fact is that many things can cause symptoms that look like Alzheimers from stress to depression, so a single incident like this is not too worrisome. I will keep an eye on her and even though we live far away, whenever we speak over the phone I always ask questions to see how her memory is about recent events because this is the part of the brain that is effected first by Alzheimers.

So far she seems fine and is not living alone so my dad can keep an eye for any changes as well. Sometimes people don’t realize how important it is to get diagnosed for dementia early when signs start to show. The fact is that the medications that are currently available do not reverse the disease they just slow the progression so whatever part of the brain has been damaged will not necessarily be repaired. So remember early treatment is the key.

Written by: Denise Thomas

Owner of Home Instead Senior Care