Health Tip: Warning Signs of Dementia

(HealthDay News) -- Dementia is more than just ordinary forgetfulness or inability to remember. It can also affect a person''s personality, communication skills, and even mood.

Here are common symptoms of dementia, courtesy of the American Academy of Family Physicians:

• Recent memory loss, not just forgetfulness.
• Problems remembering how to do everyday tasks.
• Forgetting words or appropriate grammar.
• Poor judgment, such as forgetting to wear a coat in cold weather.
• Getting lost, or not remembering how to get home.
• Difficulty understanding abstract concepts, like math.
• Moodiness, drastic changes in personality, or sudden loss of interest in activities.

Not every person with dementia has all of these symptoms, the academy says.

-- Diana Kohnle

Last Updated: Dec. 21, 2006

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