First signs of early-onset dementia as Sue Radford reveals devastating diagnosis

When Sue Radford revealed her friend’s devastating dementia diagnosis on the television program last week, she was crying.

The star of Channel 5’s 22 Kids and Counting, 48, worried her family when they found leaflets for early-onset dementia, with Sue later explaining that her lifelong friend had been diagnosed with the condition.

dementia with symptoms that do not start before the age of 65 is defined as early-onset dementia. This condition may occur due to various different causes, including degenerative, autoimmune, or infectious processes. The most common form of early onset dementia is Alzheimer’s disease, followed by frontotemporal dementia, and vascular dementia, with Alzheimer’s disease accounting for between 40 and 50% of cases.

More than 70, 800 people are estimated to be living with early-onset dementia in the UK. Dementia UK reports that symptoms can start as early as 30; however, it is typically identified much later, between the ages of 50 and 64.

Sue was in total disbelief when she told her husband, Noel, about her friend, who is the same age as her. The father-of-22, who initially thought the dementia leaflets were for his wife, was equally shocked as he told his spouse: ‘ ‘ It is devastating news. “

Sue said: ‘ You kind of think, don’t you, that it’s something you get when you’re maybe 70, 80 – it’s not something you think of in your late 40s, is it? ‘ It’s knocked me for six. I feel like ‘ Wow, that could happen to anybody, couldn’t it? ‘ ‘

Everyone will have their own symptoms, and each type of dementia will have different effects on different people. However, some typical early symptoms may develop before dementia is identified. According to the NHS, these include:

Early-onset dementia symptoms

• Memory loss
• Difficulty concentrating
• Finding it difficult to perform well-known daily tasks
• Struggling to follow a conversation
• Being confused about time and place/Getting lost
• Mood changes

How is early-onset dementia diagnosed?

There’s no single test for early onset dementia. Instead, a doctor will make a diagnosis after assessing the symptoms, discussing medical history, and performing a variety of dementia tests. These may include:

• Interviews with the person experiencing symptoms and someone who knows them well to discuss changes in thinking abilities, mood/behaviour, personality, movement, vision, hearing, and other functions.
• Review of existing medical conditions and medications.
• Physical, neurologic, and psychiatric examination.
• Mental status tests.
• typically include an MRI and a variety of PET or other scans, brain scans are common.
• Neuropsychological assessment.
• Blood, spinal fluid, or other tests to rule out other conditions.

How is early-onset dementia treated?

There is currently no cure for dementia, but doctors have been successful in helping some people maintain their mental function, control behaviour, and slow the progress of the disease.

There is medication that can temporarily lessen the symptoms. Support is also available to help someone with the condition, and their family, cope with everyday life.

How to help someone with early-onset dementia

Choosing how much assistance to give a loved one who has early-onset dementia will likely still be independent is one of the biggest difficulties that caregivers and family members face in the beginning. It’s crucial to provide assistance with daily tasks. These can include:

• shopping
• laying the table
• gardening
• taking the dog for a walk

The person can recall where things are with the aid of memory sticks in the home. For example, you could put labels and signs on cupboards, drawers and doors.

* For more information about dementia, please go to the Dementia UK website or call 020 8036 5400

Follow Mirror Celebs on Threads, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok.

Source: Mirror