.
716-235-3013 [email protected]
Early Signs of Dementia in Women

Early Signs of Dementia in Women

Dementias

“Memory is the treasure house of the mind wherein the monuments thereof are kept and preserved”.  Thomas Fuller

Early signs of dementia in women:

Early: This refers to the beginning stages or the initial phase of something. In the context of “early signs of dementia,” it means recognizing symptoms at an early stage before they become more severe or noticeable.

Signs: Signs are indications or signals that suggest something is happening or present. In this case, “early signs” of dementia are the first noticeable changes or behaviors that may indicate the presence of dementia.

Dementia: Dementia is a general term used to describe a decline in cognitive function (thinking, memory, and reasoning) severe enough to interfere with daily life. It is not a specific disease but rather a set of symptoms associated with various underlying causes.

Introduction

You may have heard that more women than men show early signs of dementia, but let’s set the record straight. Recent studies suggest there’s not enough evidence to support this claim. So, if you’re a woman, don’t fret – your risk of dementia isn’t higher just because of your gender (Beam et al., 2018).

Understanding early signs of dementia in women isn’t easy. Dementia affects everyone differently, no matter their gender, but let’s try to develop our understanding of it!

The Facts:

Let’s start by looking at what recent studies tell us about dementia and its risk factors.

According to Neergaard et al. (2016), there are certain things we can’t change (non-modifiable risk factors), like getting older and genetics that might make us more likely to develop dementia.

There are other things we can change (modifiable risk factors), like how much we exercise, nutrition, chronic stress, sleep, and whether we smoke that play a big role in whether or not we begin experiencing early signs of dementia. Norton et al. (2014) found that things like not exercising enough and smoking could make us more likely to get dementia.

Surprisingly, Neergaard et al. (2016) discovered that being a bit overweight when we’re older might not matter as much as we thought! Being obese doesn’t seem to make much of a difference according to the evidence. So, it’s not just about being thin or fat – it’s more complicated than that!

Sex Differences in Early Symptoms:

Now, let’s talk about the early signs of dementia and whether they’re different for women and men.

In a study by Edahiro et al. (2023), they found that women with early-onset dementia were more likely to have trouble with their memory. Men, on the other hand, were more likely to feel irritable.

Mendez (2012) also discovered that the first signs of dementia might not always be about forgetting things. Sometimes, they can be about having trouble with things like seeing things around us and paying attention.

The most common symptoms of early-onset dementia across gender are as follows:

    1. Loss of memory (Edahiro et al., 2023)
    2. Difficulty in word generation (Edahiro et al., 2023)
    3. Loss of motivation (Edahiro et al., 2023)
    4. Increased mistakes in the workplace or domestically (Edahiro et al., 2023)
    5. Unusual behaviors or attitudes (Edahiro et al., 2023)
    6. Visuo-spatial dysfunction (Mendez, 2012)
    7. Executive dysfunction (Mendez, 2012)
    8. Attention impairment (Mendez, 2012)

What can you do?

Stay physically active: Engage in regular physical activity, such as walking, swimming, or dancing, to promote brain health and reduce the risk of dementia

Manage depression: Seek support and treatment for depression if needed, as depression has been identified as a potential risk factor for dementia

Stay mentally active: Keep your brain stimulated by engaging in activities that challenge your cognitive abilities, such as puzzles, reading, learning new skills, or socializing with others

Monitor and manage other health conditions: Take steps to manage other health conditions that may increase the risk of dementia, such as diabetes, hypertension, and smoking

Be mindful of early signs: Pay attention to any changes in memory, cognition, or behavior, and seek medical advice if you notice any concerning symptoms. Early detection and intervention can be crucial in managing dementia

Bottom Line:

So, what’s the bottom line? Even though some studies say women might show early signs of dementia more than men, it’s not necessarily the case. That said, there are some gender differences like women being more likely to experience memory difficulties in the early stages of dementia than men.  Dementia is a complicated thing, and lots of factors can play a part in whether we get it or not.

I will forever tell everyone I know that there is no harm in seeking functional oversight of your cognition! Find a board-certified medical professional trained in memory, cognition, and neurological-based pathologies to evaluate you. This will allow you to remain in control of your brain health and manage modifiable risk factors.

References

Beam, C. R., Kaneshiro, C., Jang, J. Y., Reynolds, C. A., Pedersen, N. L., & Gatz, M. (2018). Differences Between Women and Men in Incidence Rates of Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. J Alzheimers Dis, 64(4), 1077-1083. doi:10.3233/jad-180141

Edahiro, A., Okamura, T., Arai, T., Ikeuchi, T., Ikeda, M., Utsumi, K., . . . Awata, S. (2023). Initial symptoms of early‐onset dementia in Japan: nationwide survey. Psychogeriatrics, 23(3), 422-433. doi:10.1111/psyg.12949

Fitzpatrick, A. L., Kuller, L. H., Lopez, O. L., Diehr, P., O’Meara, E. S., Longstreth, W. T., Jr., & Luchsinger, J. A. (2009). Midlife and late-life obesity and the risk of dementia: cardiovascular health study. Arch Neurol, 66(3), 336-342. doi:10.1001/archneurol.2008.582

Mendez, M. F. (2012). Early-onset Alzheimer’s disease: nonamnestic subtypes and type 2 AD. Arch Med Res, 43(8), 677-685. doi:10.1016/j.arcmed.2012.11.009

Neergaard, J. S., Dragsbæk, K., Hansen, H. B., Henriksen, K., Christiansen, C., & Karsdal, M. A. (2016). Late-Life Risk Factors for All-Cause Dementia and Differential Dementia Diagnoses in Women: A Prospective Cohort Study. Medicine, 95(11). Retrieved from https://journals.lww.com/md-journal/fulltext/2016/03150/late_life_risk_factors_for_all_cause_dementia_and.64.aspx

Norton, S., Matthews, F. E., Barnes, D. E., Yaffe, K., & Brayne, C. (2014). Potential for primary prevention of Alzheimer’s disease: an analysis of population-based data. Lancet Neurol, 13(8), 788-794. doi:10.1016/s1474-4422(14)70136-x

Early Memory Loss and Confusion

Early Memory Loss and Confusion

Conditions We Treat, Dementias, Neurological Rehabilitation, Progressive Neurological Diseases

Early Memory Loss and Confusion

Authored by Michelle Eliason, MS, OTR/L, CKTS, C.D.S.

Symptoms of Early Memory Loss and Confusion You Should Take Seriously

If you are experiencing signs and symptoms of early memory loss, it is important to take them seriously. Although there are a variety of factors why you would be having difficulty remembering information, any brain changes should be a concern.

Some symptoms of early memory changes include:

  • Word-finding difficulties to items you should know 
  • Forgetting details of what was said in a conversation or phone call that took place less than 10 minutes ago
  • Frequently forgetting why you entered a room (more than 3 times a day) 
  • Getting lost when driving to locations you have frequently visited 
  • Personality changes (lethargic, increased desire to be alone, irritable, short-tempered)
  • Sleeping more
  • Harder time managing finances and appointments
  • Increasing difficulty managing tasks you are used to managing (multi-tasking) 
  • Work performance is being affected at your place of employment

Causes of Early Memory Loss and Confusion

  • Stress
  • Alcohol and Drugs Misuse
  • Anxiety and Depression
  • Prescription side-effects
  • Neurodegenerative Illness
  • Stroke
  • Traumatic Brain Injury 
  • Oxygen Loss
  • Brain Infections

Neurodegenerative Illnesses

  • Alzheimer’s disease
  • Vascular cognitive impairment
  • Dementia with Lewy bodies 
  • Stroke
  • Frontotemporal dementia
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Huntington’s disease
  • Traumatic brain injury

Find out more specific information about your diagnosis:

How can occupational therapy benefit you if you are having early memory loss? 

Occupational therapy can greatly benefit you if you are concerned about specific symptoms. Early memory loss is a sign that something somewhere in your brain is not functioning as optimally as it could. Just as you would not ignore your right arm if you were having difficulty raising it, you should not ignore memory loss. With the right early intervention strategies, you can improve your symptoms. You will also have a healthcare professional to monitor your confusion each year in order to provide early intervention if the need arises.

    Occupational Therapy Interventions to Improve Your Memory

    What type of intervention is used by a neuro-centered rehabilitation team?

    Helpful Page Definititions

    Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs)

    Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) are essential for independence in life roles and required for aging in place. There are 8 activities core activities for independence including cooking, cleaning, communication, taking and managing medication, handling your personal finances, transportation and community mobility, shopping

    Cooking - The ability to follow a recipe and having the stamina to prepare a meal for yourself and/or your family

    Cleaning -   The ability to perform light housekeeping including making your bed, doing your laundry, washing the dishes, taking out the trash, vacuuming, sweeping, cleaning your bathroom, etc. 

    Communication - The ability to use the telephone, the computer, have conversations with people (familiar and strangers), communicate your needs clearly.

    Taking medication - The ability to sort and organize your medication or determine a compensatory method to do so as well as taking the appropriate dosage at the appropriate time. 

    Personal Finances - The ability to establish an organization method to understand financial responsibilities and pay your bills on time. 

    Transportation - Whether you are driving, calling for a driving service like a taxi or Uber, or taking public education. You must have a defined action plan for community mobility and transportation.

    Shopping - The ability to plan transportation, plan a grocery/clothing list of needs for yourself and your home, have the stamina to collect your items at the store, and be able to get them into your house. 

    Activities of Daily Living

    Occupational therapists are trained in occupations and activity analysis. An occupation is an activity that you believe is important to your life. There are many levels of occupations, but activities of daily living (ADLs) are the most personal activities and are usually the ones people find most important if they were to lose the ability to complete them.  

    ADLs include:

    • Bathing and showering
    • Getting dressed
    • Going to the bathroom
    • Walking and getting up and down from a chair or car
    • Eating and swallowing
    • Feeding 
    • Sexual activity 
    • Personal hygiene and grooming
    • Being able to use personal care devices like adaptive equipment and durable medical equipment 
    Progressive Neurological Disorders (PND)

    Progressive Neurological Disorders (PNDs) are diagnoses that are progressive in nature and cause a decline in function throughout their progression. They are also known as neurodegenerative diseases. The decline can be seen over decades, years, months, or even weeks. 

    Some common examples of PNDs include Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Lewy Body Dementia, Lou Gerhig's Disease, Alzheimer's disease, Motor Neuron Disease, and Huntington's disease. 

    Early intervention for any neurodegenerative disease is critical to maintaining function for as long as possible. Restoration in early stages and maintenance throughout a disease progression can benefit your quality of life and reduce caregiver burden. 

    Neuromuscular Re-education

    NMRE is used by neurocentric occupational therapists to improve communication between your muscular system and nervous system. By promoting this stream of communication, you close the circle of recovery. Without NMRE, you can have the biggest muscles in the world and still experience mobility deficits due to poor reaction time, coordination, and mixed signals. 

    Heavy Work

    Heavy work is also known as resistance training and can utilize isometric and isotonic movements with or without external weights while focusing on eccentric and concentric muscle contractions. By partnering heavy work with visual perceptual tasks and neural recruitment visualization, increased carryover and recovery is experienced. 

    Neurodevelopmental Techniques (NDT)

    NDT is a hands-on approach used by occupational therapists to provide deep pressure to key parts of your body during repeated movements. Your movement mixed with repetition and deep pressure creates and stores new motor patterns in your brain in order to re-establish mobility and speed up recovery. 

    Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF)

    NDT is a hands-on approach used by occupational therapists to provide deep pressure to key parts of your body during repeated movements. Your movement mixed with repetition and deep pressure creates and stores new motor patterns in your brain in order to re-establish mobility and speed up recovery. 

    Cross Crawl Techniques

    A cross-crawl technique is used in movement and mobility training of both upper body and lower body. By recruiting both sides of your brain using opposite movement patterns we strengthen the communication across the two sides of your brain known as your corpus collosum. 

    Neurocognitive Strategies

    When combining neurcogitive skills and functions with motor elements, true cognitive rehabiliation can take place (memory, recall, sequencing, etc.). We include the domains of neurocognition like language, calculation, executive functioning, complex attention, perceptual-motor, and reasoning while training your body in order to increase neural plasticity and neural re-patterning. 

    Comprehensive Evaluation

    Occupational therapists treat the entire person. Much like your primary care physician, we were required to learn elements of the entire body so that we could treat holistically (a one stop shop). Because of this, your outpatient rehabilitation specialist will perform an evaluation that assesses the following things: 

    • Personal history
      • Who are you? What do you do? What makes you tick? Why are you seeking outpatient therapy?
    • Physical function (upper body and lower body)
      • Strength, range of motion, and flexibility 
    • Neuromuscular function (brain to muscle communication)
      • Coordination, speed, agility, and reaction time 
    • Cognitive and Mind health
      • Short term memory, recall, information processing, and perception of illness 
    • Occupational Inventory (Activity and role inventory)
      • Roles you play like a caregiver, spouse, parent, employee, etc. 
      • Mobility inventory like the places you need to go 
      • IADL inventory and what activities are required for you to be independent 
      • Other activities that are important to you
    Dementia Diagnosis

    Dementia Diagnosis

    Conditions We Treat, Dementias, Neurological Rehabilitation, Progressive Neurological Diseases

    Dementia Diagnosis

    Authored by Michelle Eliason, MS, OTR/L, CKTS, C.D.S.

    What do I do if I just received a dementia diagnosis?

    ‘Dementia’ is a general term for memory deficits or memory changes. It is important to note that ‘dementia’ is not a synonym for any other word. For example, if you have been given a dementia diagnosis, this does not mean you have Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or another specific progressive neurological disease (PND). It does, however, mean your brain’s ability to recall and use some important executive functions is impaired. Whether you are just seeing the beginnings of early memory changes or you have been diagnosed with a specific disorder, early intervention is key and imperative to keeping as much function and brain activity as possible. Seeking out therapists who are specialized in neurological approaches and can follow you throughout the progression of your dementia is vital to protecting your quality of life. 

    What types of diagnoses cause dementia?

    • Alzheimer’s disease
    • Vascular cognitive impairment
    • Dementia with Lewy bodies 
    • Stroke
    • Frontotemporal dementia
    • Parkinson’s disease
    • Huntington’s disease
    • Traumatic brain injury

    Find out more specific information about your diagnosis:

    What are my options after receiving a dementia diagnosis?

    Although there are neurocognitive enhancement medications, one of the most important things you can do for yourself is to seek out a team of therapists as early as possible. With the right early intervention strategies you can improve your symptoms and/or control the speed at which you experience decline.

    What type of intervention is used by a neuro-centered rehabilitation team?

    How can outpatient occupational therapy help after a dementia diagnosis?

    • Once given a dementia diagnosis, we can ‘stage’ your dementia progression through specific screens and assessments so that you always feel in control of your circumstances.
    • Make recommendations for adaptive equipment, durable medical equipment, and mobility aids throughout each stage
    • Provide a hybrid approach to rehabilitation and maintenance grounded in neurocentric principles offering you an inclusive rehab program.

    Helpful Page Definititions

    Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs)

    Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) are essential for independence in life roles and required for aging in place. There are 8 activities core activities for independence including cooking, cleaning, communication, taking and managing medication, handling your personal finances, transportation and community mobility, shopping

    Cooking - The ability to follow a recipe and having the stamina to prepare a meal for yourself and/or your family

    Cleaning -   The ability to perform light housekeeping including making your bed, doing your laundry, washing the dishes, taking out the trash, vacuuming, sweeping, cleaning your bathroom, etc. 

    Communication - The ability to use the telephone, the computer, have conversations with people (familiar and strangers), communicate your needs clearly.

    Taking medication - The ability to sort and organize your medication or determine a compensatory method to do so as well as taking the appropriate dosage at the appropriate time. 

    Personal Finances - The ability to establish an organization method to understand financial responsibilities and pay your bills on time. 

    Transportation - Whether you are driving, calling for a driving service like a taxi or Uber, or taking public education. You must have a defined action plan for community mobility and transportation.

    Shopping - The ability to plan transportation, plan a grocery/clothing list of needs for yourself and your home, have the stamina to collect your items at the store, and be able to get them into your house. 

    Activities of Daily Living

    Occupational therapists are trained in occupations and activity analysis. An occupation is an activity that you believe is important to your life. There are many levels of occupations, but activities of daily living (ADLs) are the most personal activities and are usually the ones people find most important if they were to lose the ability to complete them.  

    ADLs include:

    • Bathing and showering
    • Getting dressed
    • Going to the bathroom
    • Walking and getting up and down from a chair or car
    • Eating and swallowing
    • Feeding 
    • Sexual activity 
    • Personal hygiene and grooming
    • Being able to use personal care devices like adaptive equipment and durable medical equipment 
    Progressive Neurological Disorders (PND)

    Progressive Neurological Disorders (PNDs) are diagnoses that are progressive in nature and cause a decline in function throughout their progression. They are also known as neurodegenerative diseases. The decline can be seen over decades, years, months, or even weeks. 

    Some common examples of PNDs include Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Lewy Body Dementia, Lou Gerhig's Disease, Alzheimer's disease, Motor Neuron Disease, and Huntington's disease. 

    Early intervention for any neurodegenerative disease is critical to maintaining function for as long as possible. Restoration in early stages and maintenance throughout a disease progression can benefit your quality of life and reduce caregiver burden. 

    Neuromuscular Re-education

    NMRE is used by neurocentric occupational therapists to improve communication between your muscular system and nervous system. By promoting this stream of communication, you close the circle of recovery. Without NMRE, you can have the biggest muscles in the world and still experience mobility deficits due to poor reaction time, coordination, and mixed signals. 

    Heavy Work

    Heavy work is also known as resistance training and can utilize isometric and isotonic movements with or without external weights while focusing on eccentric and concentric muscle contractions. By partnering heavy work with visual perceptual tasks and neural recruitment visualization, increased carryover and recovery is experienced. 

    Neurodevelopmental Techniques (NDT)

    NDT is a hands-on approach used by occupational therapists to provide deep pressure to key parts of your body during repeated movements. Your movement mixed with repetition and deep pressure creates and stores new motor patterns in your brain in order to re-establish mobility and speed up recovery. 

    Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF)

    NDT is a hands-on approach used by occupational therapists to provide deep pressure to key parts of your body during repeated movements. Your movement mixed with repetition and deep pressure creates and stores new motor patterns in your brain in order to re-establish mobility and speed up recovery. 

    Cross Crawl Techniques

    A cross-crawl technique is used in movement and mobility training of both upper body and lower body. By recruiting both sides of your brain using opposite movement patterns we strengthen the communication across the two sides of your brain known as your corpus collosum. 

    Neurocognitive Strategies

    When combining neurcogitive skills and functions with motor elements, true cognitive rehabiliation can take place (memory, recall, sequencing, etc.). We include the domains of neurocognition like language, calculation, executive functioning, complex attention, perceptual-motor, and reasoning while training your body in order to increase neural plasticity and neural re-patterning.