Far too many older adults do not receive dementia care until they have some sort of accident. Sometimes they drive off and get into a crash because they don't remember traffic rules. Other times, they start a house fire because they forgot to turn the stove off. If you wait for an accident to occur before seeking dementia care for your loved one, then, unfortunately, you may have waited too long. But what earlier signs indicate that your loved one could benefit from dementia care?

Forgetting how to cook favorite recipes.

Many people look back and later realize that the first sign of their loved one's dementia was an inability to follow recipes that the person used to know. Perhaps your aunt has been making a certain apple pie for years. Now this year, suddenly, she forgot to add the cinnamon and the crust is totally different. One recipe screw-up is not necessarily a sign that anything is wrong, but if these mistakes start happening more often than not, it's time to consider whether dementia is an issue. Dementia makes it really hard for people to follow step-by-step instructions, and for many older adults, following a recipe is the primary time they are expected to follow step-by-step instructions — so this is how dementia can first show itself.

Trouble remembering who people are.

When your loved one meets someone or sees someone they know, do they sometimes struggle to remember the person's name? Do they sometimes refer to them by the wrong name? Maybe they even forget who someone is, even though they have known that person for years. It's easy to write off incidents like this as being silly jokes, or as occurring because your loved one is tired, but people without dementia rarely forget identities.

Behavior that is inappropriate for the situation.

Another often-overlooked sign of dementia is displaying behavior that is inappropriate for the situation at hand. Maybe your loved one is acting silly and giggly all through a funeral. Or perhaps they have begun showing up to family dinners dressed to the nines in their finest clothing, even though everyone else is wearing casual clothes. One or two incidents of this type are easy to excuse, but if your loved one's behavior is becoming less and less situationally appropriate overall, then dementia may be at hand.

Don't wait until your loved one has an accident to seek dementia care. If you've noticed any of the signs above, have your loved one evaluated. If they do have dementia, they can get the care they need before anything dangerous happens.

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