Early stages of dementia | living with and caring for

The early stages of dementia are often hard to detect, when people can complete many daily tasks as usual. However, dementia is a progressive condition, so it is important to predict when performing daily tasks will become more difficult. 

What happens in the early stages?

In the early stages, many people get dementia can still continue daily activities such as going to work, going to the market, shopping...

However, over time they begin to suffer from memory loss and problems with judgment, recalling more. Signs of Alzheimer's disease. If you are a caregiver, you need some of the following care methods:

Plan the patient's day

It may take some time to form this habit, but writing down a list

• Daily tasks such as: breakfast, taking medicine…
• Mark appointments or events on a printed or online calendar, to keep track of dates and get better control of your time.

Set up a designated place to keep important everyday items, such as

• House keys, car keys
• Phone charger and wallet
• Or leave memory aids like sticky notes by the front door. 

Use a pill box with compartments and an alarm

Those medicine box This has separate compartments for each day of the week–usually divided into morning-noon-evening.

Medication distribution for the patient should be established weekly by a family caregiver, or home care worker

Some have alarms to remind you to take your medication, or you may want to set a recurring alarm using a regular alarm clock.

Set up direct debit 

Most companies or utilities now offer direct debits as a standard way to pay and keep track of bills.

Monthly bills for fixed expenses such as electricity, water, and telephone will be done automatically and there is no need to worry about forgetting to top up. 

Shop online or find familiar stores

Alzheimer's Association research shows that for 80% people with this disease, Shopping is their favourite activity, however 63% feels that stores are not doing enough to meet their needs. This may include – 

• Have difficulty moving around the store or finding the items they need 
• Feel disoriented by bold patterns or shiny surfaces
• Feeling overwhelmed by the surrounding noise 
• Problems with payments, such as forgetting your PIN, counting the correct amount, feeling rushed or using a payment machine
• Lack of social cues 

If you are nervous about shopping in person, shopping online from the comfort of your own home can be a good alternative. Many online grocery stores allow you to ‘save’ your favourite items so you don’t forget them in your next order. 

Start activities and brain training 

Many people with dementia begin the games and activities brain training 

often because many people believe they may maintain cognitive health for a longer period of time.

Physical activity is also important. The Ministry of Health recommends about 30 minutes of activity per day. – this could include walking to your local park, gardening or low-impact sports such as swimming or tai chi.

Improve home safety 

There are a number of changes and checks you can make around your home to improve safety:

• Ensure carbon monoxide and smoke detectors and fire extinguishers are in working order
• Label drawers, cabinets, and cupboards to identify what's in them
• Remove any locks on interior doors to eliminate the risk of being locked out.
• Replace kitchen appliances with ones that have automatic shut-off features
• Install a thermostatic mixing valve on your sink and shower faucets – prevents water temperatures from reaching scalding levels. 

Although spatial awareness or balance problems tend to occur later, you may also find it helpful to prepare by – 

• Remove tripping hazards, such as rugs, extension cords, charging cords.
• Apply eye level stickers to glass doors or long windows 
• Install side rails bathtub , toilets and bathrooms 

Source elder.org