What are the very early signs of dementia?

[supersop60]

Is there anyone out there with a diagnosed relative, who noticed changes in their loved one long before diagnosis? I'm asking about my DP (55) who is fit and generally very healthy. He's always had a bad memory and there have been post-it notes all over the place for as long as I've known him (and presumeably before that) 20 yrs btw.
The most recent thing is that he empties the dishwasher and puts the cutlery in the drawer upside down ie blades and tines facing you instead of away. When I asked him why after the third time, he said he couldn't remember where they went. I have now labelled the trays, mainly to save myself from being lacerated!
Does this kind of thing resonate with anyone?

Is this a recent thing with the cutlery? What other things does he forget?

I know a common sign of dementia is forgetting what normal household things are for or getting confused about how they are used.

As you get older, it is natural for your memory to deteriorate (although 55 is young). The first signs are cognitive impairment- getting lost on a familiar route, problems understanding simple tasks, sometimes difficulty reading a clock - it does vary on the type of dementia. My stepfather has alcohol related dementia & getting lost and confusion over day & night were the first obvious signs - he was 69 when diagnosed x

I can't remember which way round the knives or forks go in the drawer.

My brain just can't hold that kind of information, as it doesn't seem important. (Not that I'm deliberately not remembering, just that it doesn't stick, as I am overwhelmed by too many other things I need to be thinking about). I can remember my 16 digit card number, however.

I (probably) have ADHD. Am also stressed beyond belief! Have been thinking about going to the Dr about my memory for a while.

Not that anything I've said relates to your DH - he's another person! He could just be absent minded. Or not, really hard to say from such a tiny snapshot.

My relative started to have problems using things like the phone, the microwave, the remote control, the computer.

It's very recent - the last few weeks or so. He has often had the same conversation several times, but I've always thought that is how he works things out in his mind, by saying them aloud (he does it on his own too).Eg talking about what new car to buy, or fixing the guttering etc
Although yesterday he said "I bought some of those mini toad-in-the-holes for you and DD" and less than 10 minutes later said the same thing. Then he said it again about an hour later.
My DM and his GM had Alzheimers, so maybe I'm hyper sensitive.

Your dh is very young. I would get him to his GP pronto, there are other things that can cause confusion and apparent memory problems (thyroid is one off the top of my head).

Re the cutlery - nothing has changed in the last 20 yrs and he's never had a problem before.
Either that or he's being an arse about putting stuff away and I should be posting in Relationships. (not entirely joking)

myoldfriend thank you. I'll keep my eyes open.

If he can’t recognise where or when he is... it sometimes happens for just a few seconds and it’s very scary and you panic and then you think you’re just concentrating and it all sort of slowly snaps back into place. But not sure if someone would really admit that to you, if they were in a denial about it .

The cutlery thing is weird if he’s only just started doing it having been fine for years.

I also have ADHD and one of the reasons for a dx, was that it wasn't confused with dementia, particularly during peri-menopause. My memory is shite. One of the things I've read tho is that it's if you forget and don't know why it's an issue.

However, that sounds odd and I'd take him to the GP, having given the GP a heads up, so that they do the Mini Mental State Exam with him.

Waddsup, the GP will do a blood tests first to rule out other possibilities before they’d refer you to that exam.

My relative had the test before the bloods but I had rung the gp beforehand with my concerns.

There is a type of dementia called ‘early onset’. It can affect those 35 and over.
I teach about dementia. Every individuals start to their dementia trajectory is different. An interesting take on memory loss with dementia I once heard from a consultant is that ‘you don’t necessarily forget where your glasses are (we all have that tendency) but that you fail to recognise that they are glasses’.

I would suggest talking to him about going to the GP.

There are lots of underlying (reversible) physical causes that can be responsible for difficulties in memory any thinking.

First step would be to get these ruled in/out with simple blood tests.

GP may do one of the quick cognitive tests too.

My DM went to the doctors this morning about her hip, but he thought she was getting confused as she couldn't remember what he had said about her leg. He is now having blood tests. She is 83 but has been forgetful since I was a child.
Hope your DH gets help with his memory.

The GP may then wait to refer to memory services for assessment, or send referral following just that one visit.

The first thing we noticed was being short tempered and unreasonable rather than absent minded (I put things in the wrong place, always have done!) Grandad also starting drinking more and being paranoid people were after his money. There's no one set of symptoms though but yes the signs are there many years prior when you look back. Hopefully it's just forgetfulness!

My mum's done the mmse twice just before operations, no blood tests. Mil was just referred after doing it via GP. She may well have had blood tests.

My mum's done the mmse twice just before operations, no blood tests.
I think it's fairly standard to do that when the elderly go into hospital

Yep, it is, anyone over 75.

The Op's DH here is younger but I'd still expect anyone presenting with memory issues might have one done. From reading about DX on the various charity info sites. Altzeimer Society has excellent info, tho I expect it will vary due to location.

The first signs in my mother were of her saying and doing completely inappropriate things. I remember years before she wa sdiagnosed they came for Christmas. She 'helped tidy up' after the big unwrapping on Christmas Day, by taking two presents in gift bags which had been stashed on very high shelves as they were for guests who;d not yet arrived. She emptied the presents inside into the bin and told me she;d kept the bags in case I wanted to use them again. I had to rifle through the rubbish for pieces of expensive jewellery. When I asked her what she was doing (she was always ditzy) she looked blank.

My MIL was diagnosed at 65 but was showing signs of being ‘odd’ a good few years before. She always talked her way through everything she did, describing the process which used to drive me mad. She appeared to be scatty, excitable and I often felt she didn’t take anything in properly as she simply didn’t listen. Looking back it may have been that her memory was affected back then and it was her way of helping herself remember the process of things.
She started to repeat conversations and couldn’t take on board new tasks. She used to park erratically and had a few speeding fines, then she actually lost the car on a few occasions. There are so many different examples of things she used to do it’s hard to remember. I suggest you visit the GP ASAP as we took 2 years to join the dots and eventually realise she had a problem.
It’s a cruel disease, she’s been diagnosed 10 years now and in the end stages. The decline has been slow really and she’s now literally a shell, bedbound, doubly incontinent, immobile, cannot speak, grimaces and eats a soft diet. We just wait for her to stop eating or breathing now. There’s nothing else left to lose bless her.

@TheNavigator my Df has just been diagnosed with alcohol related dementia at 67 although we have seen the signs starting for the last 2 or 3 years tbh.

He had a prostate problem earlier this year which seemed to accelerate the confusion, repetition and not being able to name simple things.

Has your fil stayed stable with his condition, or have you noticed sudden changes? Is a horrible thing to have to watch my dad go through.

@alifelessordinary I am afraid my stepfather seems to be declining quite rapidly. He was advised to stop drinking, but he is beyond that now, really - he wouldn't have the cognitive capacity for the necessary will power. He has good days and bad days (often linked to volume of alcohol consumed). But in 12 months he has gone from driving scarily to being diagnosed, losing his licence and now struggling to fulfil simple tasks like chopping vegetables on bad days. Sorry, it is a pretty grim picture.