Dementia vs. Normal Aging

Choice HomecareAging, Alzheimer, Dementia, Seniors

Dementia

  • Forgetting new information and being unable to recall it later

  • Consistently poor judgement and decision making

  • Loss of the ability to manage money and pay bills

  • Forgetting where you are, how you got there and how to get home

  • Misplacing things and being unable to find them or putting things in unusual places

  • Gradually becoming unable to carry on or follow a conversation

  • Difficulty with every day tasks, like preparing a simple meal

  • Vision problems, such as thinking someone else is in the room when passing by a mirror

  • Consistent withdrawal from work or social activities

  • Easily confused, suspicious, anxious or angry when with people or in places that are out of their comfort zone

Normal Aging

  • Occasionally forgetting names or appointments

  • Making a questionable decision now and then

  • Finding it challenging to balance a chequebook

  • Occasionally forgetting where you were going

  • Occasionally misplacing your keys or other items

  • Sometimes having difficulty finding the right word

  • Needing help with less familiar tasks, like programming the PVR

  • Age related vision problems caused by cataracts, etc.

  • Occasionally feeling weary of work or social activities

  • Accustomed to a particular way of doing things and becoming irritable when the normal routine is interrupted.

Contact us for a free, 1-hour in-home Dementia Care assessment with a Choice Homecare Ottawa case manager. We’ll answer your questions and help your family plan for the future. If you’re facing behaviours or issues related to dementia (including wandering, agitation, aggression, incontinence and falls), we can offer experienced advice and coping strategies for day-to-day activities.