When can we talk about dementia?

Many people sometimes suffer from forgetfulness. They often fear that they will develop dementia. But dementia is more than just memory loss.

Nearly 100,000 Flemish people have dementia and one in five will sooner or later suffer from it. This year Music For Life wants to pay more attention to dementia.

Dementia is more than just forgetfulness. In addition to difficulty remembering recent events, victims often do not know where they are or what day it is. They also have difficulty finding the right words, recognizing people or objects and performing complex actions such as getting dressed.

But there are many other signs such as suspicion, frequent repetition of sentences, hallucinations, making up stories to mask memory loss, blurring of norms and mood disorders.

However, it is important to make the diagnosis at an early stage. An initial examination can be done by your GP. If necessary, they will refer you to a specialized memory clinic.

Author: Prof. Dr. Dirk Devroey - Latest update: 2021-09-29 - Copyright: Clinifacts 2024