Signs of Cognitive Decline to Watch Out For

The earliest signs of cognitive decline can be easy to miss and can begin years before they become noticeable enough to interfere with daily life. At first, the differences can be so small they’re easily dismissed as stress, distraction or normal aging.

Maybe “senior moments” happen a little more often. Planning the day takes more effort. You rely on a spouse or friend for simple tasks you once handled yourself. You misplace something and have trouble retracing your steps. Or you briefly become disoriented in a familiar area but eventually figure out where you are.

Early changes can also be physical or behavioral. Muscle loss, coordination difficulties or minor personality changes may emerge. Someone might start react more strongly, or less strongly, to situations than they once did.

None of these changes alone means someone has dementia. What matters is noticing a pattern of subtle changes from what is normal for you or someone you love.

Changes in Memory and Thinking

We all forget things. The concern is when forgetfulness or other cognitive changes happen more often and start affecting daily life. Keep an eye out for:

• Memory Changes. Repeatedly forgetting recent conversations or information, asking the same questions, missing appointments or increasingly relying on reminders for things you once remembered easily are all signs of memory impairment.
• Difficulty With Familiar Tasks. Paying bills, following a favorite recipe, getting dressed or completing another routine activity takes more thought or becomes confusing.
• Problems Planning Or Solving Problems. Organizing errands, following several steps or figuring out what to do next becomes harder.
• Communication Changes. You lose your train of thought more often, struggle to find familiar words, repeat yourself or have difficulty following conversations.
• Confusion About Time Or Place. Losing track of dates or how much time has passed becomes common and you get confused in familiar surroundings.
• Changes In Judgment. Someone who has always been careful with money starts making unusual purchases, neglects bills or falls for questionable offers.
• Changes In Personality Or Interests. Increased anxiety, irritability, suspicion or apathy may appear. You or your loved one may pull away from hobbies, friends or activities that you once enjoyed.

Your Body Can Drop Hints, Too

Some early changes may be easier to feel than to remember. A Newsbreak article titled “9 Subtle Signs of Cognitive Decline You Shouldn’t Ignore” identifies things that most of us associate with getting older as potential signs of cognitive decline. They include:

Weaker Grip. Opening jars, carrying groceries or holding objects securely gets harder. Research shows declining grip strength points to impaired cognitive health.

Less Hand Endurance. Your hands tire more quickly, or you can’t maintain your grip as long as you once could.

Trouble With Fine Motor Skills. Buttoning a shirt, turning a key, writing or using utensils becomes more difficult.

More Fatigue During Activity. A familiar walk or household chore suddenly leaves you much more tired.

Slower Recovery. You can still do the activity, but it takes a lot longer to bounce back afterward.

Changes In Balance Or Coordination. Walking smoothly, maintaining your balance or coordinating movements becomes more difficult.

Changes In Muscle Tone Or Complex Movements. Stiffness or difficulty using multiple muscles at once, like stair climbing, is now a challenge.

Don’t Just Chalk It Up to Aging

Each of these signs, by itself, does not point to cognitive decline. Fatigue, weakness, forgetfulness and balance problems can have many causes.

Instead, look for a pattern. Is something you’ve always done easily becoming harder? Are these changes happening more often? Are several showing up at once?

If you’re noticing changes in yourself, write down a few examples and talk with your healthcare provider.

If you’re concerned about your spouse, parent or another loved one, focus on what you’ve observed rather than what you think it means. Saying “I’ve noticed you’ve had trouble keeping track of your bills lately” can be a much easier conversation than “I think your memory is getting worse.”

A healthcare provider can help figure out what’s behind the changes and whether further cognitive screening makes sense.

Keep Your Mind and Body Active

Capri Communities recognizes that keeping the mind and body engaged aids healthy aging.

That is why we provide aging adults with many opportunities to stay active, enjoy nutritious meals, learn new things, pursue hobbies and spend time with others. And when cognitive needs change, our memory care communities offer specialized care and support.

Growing older brings its share of changes. But that doesn’t mean you should file every new struggle under the category of “I’m just getting older.”

When something feels different in your memory, thinking, movement or abilities, pay attention and get it checked out.