The concern is a noticeable and persistent change in judgment or decision-making.
- Withdrawal From Work or Social Activities
A person experiencing cognitive difficulties may begin withdrawing from activities they previously enjoyed.
Sometimes this happens because familiar activities have become harder to manage, or because the person feels embarrassed or frustrated by changes they are experiencing.
🔍 What to watch for:
Frequently canceling social plans
Losing interest in long-time hobbies
Avoiding activities that require concentration
Becoming noticeably less involved with friends or family
Social withdrawal can also occur with depression, anxiety, grief, and many other conditions, so it should not automatically be interpreted as dementia.
- Changes in Mood, Personality, or Behavior
Changes in personality or behavior can sometimes accompany cognitive decline.
Someone may become unusually irritable, fearful, suspicious, apathetic, or emotionally different from their usual personality.
🔍 What to watch for:
Increased irritability
Uncharacteristic emotional reactions
Sudden or persistent apathy
Increased suspiciousness
Noticeable
changes in social behavior
Mood and personality changes have many possible explanations, including depression, anxiety, medication effects, and stressful life events. A healthcare professional can help determine what may be causing the change.
- Difficulty Completing Familiar Tasks
One of the most important clues is losing the ability to perform familiar activities that were previously routine.
This could include difficulty preparing a familiar meal, managing finances, using a familiar appliance, following the rules of a favorite game, or navigating a well-known route.
🔍 What to watch for:
Needing step-by-step help with familiar activities
Taking significantly longer to complete routine tasks
Forgetting how to use familiar household items
Abandoning an activity because it has suddenly become confusing
The CDC and National Institute on Aging identify difficulty completing familiar tasks as one of the important signs that cognitive changes may be affecting everyday life.
Important: These Signs Do Not Automatically Mean Dementia
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