Earliest Indicators of Dementia

As we age, it can be challenging to tell the difference between the common changes that occur in our thinking and memory and the early symptoms of dementia. In this blog, you’ll find a list of the earliest indicators of dementia, followed by a list of indicators of Mild Cognitive Impairment.

One of the biggest problems with preventing any chronic disease is that we’ve been taught we are healthy if we don’t have symptoms. That’s not true. Symptoms are the last thing to appear in the disease process. By the time you have symptoms, the disease has already been progressing. If you’re proactive with the right tests and address less-than-optimal test results before you have symptoms, you can often avoid chronic disease, even Alzheimer’s, altogether.

Many people who wait for symptoms and follow the standard of care find themselves on 4-14 medications by the time they’re in their 70s or 80s, with declining cognition and no longer having the ability to do what it takes to heal. I’ve seen this many times, and it breaks my heart.

Alzheimer’s is a sneaky disease for two reasons:

• It begins decades before the first symptoms appear.
• The first symptoms are often attributed to “normal” aging and ignored.

Today, I want to make you aware of the earliest symptoms that precede the early signs of dementia. You may have some of these symptoms and please know that everyone who has these symptoms as they age won’t get dementia or Alzheimer’s. My 86-year-old dad has 4 of the 6 –– numbers 1, 2, 4, 7 –– and he’s still cognitively sharp and active.

The problem is that we just don’t know who will and who won’t progress to dementia or Alzheimer’s until it happens. That makes waiting for these early symptoms to get worse before taking action a poor strategy for avoiding Alzheimer’s when there are things you can do to improve. Here are the earliest symptoms:

1. 1. Mild forgetfulness: Forgetting names, misplacing items more frequently or having difficulty recalling recent events.
   2. Difficulty finding words: Struggling to remember specific words or names during conversations.
   3. Mild changes in mood or personality: Noticeable shifts in mood, increased irritability, mood swings or changes in behavior.
   4. Decreased ability to focus: Finding it harder to concentrate on tasks, becoming easily distracted or having reduced attention span.
   5. Mild decline in problem-solving skills: Experiencing challenges with planning, decision-making or organizing daily activities.
   6. Slower processing speed: Taking longer to perform familiar tasks or respond to questions.
   7. Trouble with multitasking: Finding it more difficult to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
   8. Reduced sense of spatial awareness: Experiencing occasional difficulty with depth perception or judging distances.
   9. Fatigue and decreased energy: Feeling more tired or lacking motivation to engage in usual activities.
   10. Changes in sleep patterns: Experiencing alterations in sleep duration or quality.

It’s important to note:

• These symptoms can be subtle and easily overlooked or attributed to normal aging, stress or other factors.
• Most people wait for them to get worse, usually a lot worse, before they take any action.
• Most people will have some or all of these symptoms as they age, especially if they aren’t doing anything to prevent them.

While the best time to prevent any disease is before you have symptoms, being proactive when you first begin to notice cognitive changes will make a big difference in the way your brain and body ages.

If you’re having the following symptoms of Mild Cognitive Impairment, it’s imperative that you take action immediately to avoid Alzheimer’s. About 10% of people with Mild Cognitive Impairment go on to develop Alzheimer’s each year. The symptoms of MCI are often reversible when using the ReCODE protocol:

1. 1. Memory problems: Difficulty remembering recent events, appointments or conversations; trouble retaining new information.
   2. Language difficulties: Finding the right words during conversations, trouble following a complex discussion or exhibiting decreased vocabulary.
   3. Attention and concentration issues: Reduced ability to stay focused on tasks, concentrate or multitask effectively. It may become more challenging to maintain attention for prolonged periods.
   4. Executive function decline: Involves skills like planning, decision-making, organizing and problem-solving. Difficulties in these areas can become apparent in daily activities.
   5. Visuospatial problems: Trouble judging distances, parking, reading maps or performing tasks that require spatial orientation.
   6. Impaired reasoning and judgment: Difficulties in making sound judgments or decisions; may exhibit poor judgment in managing finances, making appropriate social choices or assessing risky situations.
   7. MoCA score = 19-26

If you’re having these symptoms or already have a diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment, you need to get involved in making the right lifestyle changes now and get the right lab testing. Both can be challenging, but joining my Direct Access community makes it a lot easier because it includes all the lifestyle information, support for making lifestyle changes and the access to me for lab testing.

Here’s a comment from one our founding members who reversed her MCI:

“I am very grateful for the time you have spent creating video and pdf guides for us to use and to look back on. Your videos are professional, concise and easy to understand. I appreciate that you take time to answer any questions we have. You have created an amazing source of information for those of us who are working our way through the ReCODE Protocol. If it hadn’t been for you and your guidance and your knowledge, I would have quit long ago. I’m especially thankful for being in the membership group where we can stay in contact with you. THANK YOU…THANK YOU.”
Ellen

I hope you’ll join us in the Direct Access group today.