Running red lights. Falling for scams. Shutting out friends.
Memory loss is the most well-known symptom of dementia, particularly Alzheimer’s disease. But experts say there are other warning signs that can signal early brain changes — ones that are especially important for types of dementia where forgetfulness is not the primary symptom.
Just like occasional lapses in memory, these issues can also be attributed to other age- or health-related changes (or just a bad day), so experts emphasized that they aren’t necessarily red flags for dementia in isolation. But, especially in combination, they might be a sign that it’s time to see a doctor.
1. Financial ProblemsPeople with dementia can experience money problems or declining credit scores years before memory loss, or other cognitive symptoms, emerge. They might forget to pay their bills, for instance, or no longer be able to stick to a budget.
“One of the reasons why financial mismanagement can be a sensitive indicator is just because it’s so complicated,” involving the interplay of multiple brain regions, said Dr. Winston Chiong, a professor of neurology at the University of California, San Francisco. Consequently, finances can be one of the first areas where cracks in someone’s cognition start to appear.
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SKIP ADVERTISEMENTPoor financial decision-making is especially a concern for those with frontotemporal dementia, a relatively rare form of dementia where judgment is affected very early on in the disease. Some people with this condition might make big, impulsive purchases. Others might trust people they would not normally, increasing their risk of being scammed.
“People with frontotemporal dementia are less sensitive to potential negative consequences,” Dr. Chiong said. Because of this, they may have increased “susceptibility to different kinds of manipulation,” or they may be “more likely to be wasteful with money or careless with money.”
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