How to Spot the Signs of Early-Onset Dementia

No matter how old your loved ones are, it is never easy when you start to see marked changes in their mood, memory, personality, or physical capabilities. Most people accept that aging means eventually experiencing some symptoms of dementia.

So, when your family or friends enter their more advanced years, you tend to expect them to start slowing down. But what if these symptoms start showing up when someone is still in their fifties, forties, or even thirties?

The earliest signs of early-onset dementia or Alzheimer’s can be subtle and difficult to spot. Yet, catching these degenerative conditions sooner rather than later can make all the difference in how the disease progresses. Though only a healthcare professional can determine if you or a loved one is showing signs, this article will detail the condition’s early symptoms, explain its common causes, and offer some potential next steps.

Keep reading to learn more about recognizing symptoms in your loved ones and how to help them move toward a better quality of life.

What is early-onset dementia?

Dementia is a term used to describe extreme or rapid cognitive decline that exceeds the typical effects of aging. Most common in people over the age of sixty-five, it can affect multiple aspects of cognitive functioning, including memory, language, motor skills, personality, and mood regulation. These effects can be progressive and cause issues with an individual’s ability to function in daily life and adequately care for themselves.

Early-onset dementia is any form that begins to affect a person before the age of sixty-five. Alzheimer’s disease, a progressive, degenerative brain condition, is possibly the most common cause of dementia in younger patients.

However, due to the difficulties of diagnosing early-onset dementia, the research may not fully represent all younger sufferers. Other conditions that may cause symptoms to begin early include vascular dementia and frontotemporal dementia.

While dementia and Alzheimer’s symptoms can cause difficulties for sufferers of any age, they are particularly life-altering for younger people who are more likely to be working full-time jobs, raising children, or financially supporting their families.

The higher demands of pre-retirement life can cause symptoms of early-onset dementia to significantly interfere with daily life more quickly. However, when recognized and diagnosed early, it may be possible to treat, manage, or delay the progression of dementia symptoms.

Common signs of early-onset dementia

Even though dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are most associated with memory loss and confusion, these conditions have much more far-reaching effects on cognitive functioning. Some signs of early-onset dementia are easier to spot, while others are more frequently overlooked or attributed to other mental or physical health conditions. Some common symptoms of early-onset dementia can include the following:

Memory loss: forgetfulness of important dates, the location of essential items, aspects of one’s daily routine, or even one’s train of thought when speaking

Confusion and difficulty with spatial reasoning: disorientation in familiar spaces, difficulty identifying familiar people or objects, challenges navigating stairs or challenging terrain, or increased clumsiness

Difficulties with language: challenges with finding the right words, using repetitive words or phrases, or asking the same questions over and over without understanding the answer

Inability to reliably pick up on sarcasm and humor: abstract thinking can become impaired by dementia, leading to difficulties understanding figures of speech, rhetorical questions, sarcasm, indirect humor, and satire

Loss of concentration and judgment: maintaining focused attention may become more challenging, along with difficulties assessing risk or avoiding danger for themselves and others

Changes in personality and mood regulation: people with dementia are likely to have more extreme moods, feel stress more acutely, and become frustrated more quickly

Withdrawal from previously enjoyable activities and relationships: as it becomes more difficult to remember, remain focused, or maintain their train of thought, people with dementia may begin to disengage from activities and interactions that they once enjoyed

Struggles to perform routine life activities: as the condition progresses, daily care tasks such as cooking, cleaning, personal hygiene, grocery shopping, and remembering to take medications can become increasingly difficult

Still, even then you are familiar with the signs of early-onset dementia, it can be a challenging condition to recognize or diagnose. This is due, at least in part, to the significant overlap between dementia symptoms and the symptoms of other mental health, physical, and neurological conditions. Many of the signs described above could also point to a vitamin deficiency, hormone imbalance, depressive episode, reaction to a medication, infection, or brain tumor.

It is also fairly common for the signs of early-onset dementia to be misattributed to depression, anxiety, or other mental or emotional health conditions. Due to their patients’ younger ages, doctors may not always consider dementia as an explanation for symptoms. Therefore, consistent advocacy may be required for someone to receive the proper diagnosis and treatment for early-onset dementia.

Causes

If you believe you are seeing signs of early-onset dementia in a loved one, you may wonder what causes dementia in younger adults. Though there are several possible explanations for early-onset dementia symptoms, the most common cause of cognitive decline in younger adults is Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s symptoms are less common before the age of 65, but depending on many different factors, the condition can sometimes begin much earlier.

Additionally, aspects of a person’s health history may increase their chances of showing signs of dementia before they reach their sixties. For example, lifestyle choices such as excessive alcohol consumption or drug use, high-risk sexual practices, and extreme cigarette smoking.

As well, remaining long-term in high-stress environments may cause damage to one’s brain over time and lead to younger-onset dementia. Brain trauma or brain injury due to illness can also increase a person’s likelihood of developing dementia earlier in life.

Aside from Alzheimer’s, the two conditions that most frequently cause early-onset dementia are vascular dementia and frontotemporal dementia. In vascular dementia, a lack of adequate blood flow to the brain deprives the cells of oxygen and impedes overall brain function. This blood flow issue may be caused by blockage or injury of the vessels. Frontotemporal dementia, however, occurs when the front lobes of the brain begin to shrink, which impedes functioning.

Lastly, some degenerative diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, Huntington’s, and Parkinson’s, may also contribute to early-onset dementia. Ultimately, any injury, illness, or condition that impacts the brain, circulatory system, or limbic system has the potential to cause brain damage, eventually leading to dementia. Though some of these conditions can be treated or reversed, others are degenerative, and their progression can only be delayed, not stopped.

Next steps

No matter what the person’s age, if you believe you are seeing signs of early-onset dementia in a loved one, it is essential that they be evaluated as quickly as possible. Though broaching the subject of someone’s cognitive decline can be complicated, delicate, and spark intense emotion, no one benefits from your silence. If you are worried about how to speak to your loved ones about your concerns for them, first talking to a qualified Christian counselor may help.

After a diagnosis of early-onset dementia, it may be challenging to come to terms with the reality of one’s mental decline. Your loved one may need support with emotional regulation, anxiety, depression, or other symptoms of their condition. The family may need to learn new ways to support their loved one in this new stage of life. In all these cases, counseling can help.

A qualified counselor will work with the person living with dementia and possibly the family to help him or her face the diagnosis, understand the condition, work through practical issues caused by the disease, and help him or her better cope with the situation.

If the family is included in the counseling process, it may also allow them to work through their emotions, discuss any adjustments that need to be made, and talk through details of ongoing care and planning.

If you are concerned for the health of your loved one, speak to them about what you see. Once they have been evaluated by a doctor and possibly received a diagnosis, consider how Christian counseling may help you and your loved one navigate this difficult season. Reach out today to schedule your first appointment with a counselor near you.