Christmas is a season of joy and family gatherings, bringing together children, parents, and grandparents. However, with dementia cases on the rise annually, it’s crucial to keep a watchful eye on our loved ones this Christmas.
Currently, over 982,000 Brits are living with dementia, a condition associated with a continuous decline in brain function. By 2040, this number is expected to approach 1.4million.
While there’s no known cure for dementia at this time, early detection is vital as it can help slow down the disease’s progression in some cases.
Appropriate treatment and support can offer invaluable help to both the patients and their families. During the festive season, there are certain behaviours to be mindful of, especially during the preparation of the Christmas feast.
Preparing a roast dinner is a challenging task, with many components to manage. From chopping vegetables to monitoring the turkey’s cooking time, it’s easy to overlook a detail or two.
However, health experts warn that forgetfulness could also be a symptom of dementia, suggesting that it might be time to schedule a visit to the GP.
Back in 2017, NHS England published a report in which the then National Clinical Director for Dementia and Older People’s Mental Health, Professor Alistair Burns, offered guidance on dementia warning signs that families should watch for, especially during festive gatherings.
He cautioned: “Something as simple as forgetting to put the oven on for the Christmas turkey may be a warning that a loved one is experiencing the early stages of dementia.”
Professor Burns also emphasised how “complex tasks such as cooking a big Christmas dinner for a large number of people” can cause those with dementia to struggle with memory, leading to potential oversights such as neglecting the sprouts or preparing dishes in an incorrect sequence.
Alzheimer’s Research UK turned to TikTok to highlight additional warning signs of dementia to look out for during the holidays.
In a TikTok clip from 2023, Katie from their helpline team launched their Santa Forgot campaign, demonstrating some of the behavioural shifts that could signal dementia during the Christmas period.
In the footage, Katie revealed that you witness Santa confusing and mixing up where the presents are supposed to go.
She added: “We might see signs and symptoms of dementia like this in our loved ones at Christmas. They might put the wrong tags on the presents, or might get disorientated in familiar places, like someone’s house.”
According to Alzheimer’s Research UK, other early indicators of Alzheimer’s may include:
- Memory loss (forgetting recent events, names, faces and recently learned information)
- Being increasingly repetitive
- Misplacing things
- Confusion
- Disorientation
- Language (problems with finding the right words or understanding the meaning of words)
- Mood and behaviour (low mood, anxious or agitated)
If you think you or a loved one may have dementia, speak to your GP. If you have questions about symptoms or getting a diagnosis you can contact Alzheimer’s Research UK’s Dementia Research Infoline on 0300 111 5111 or infoline@alzheimersresearchuk.org.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
