Diagnosing young onset dementia
Subjective memory lapses (such as walking into a room and forgetting why), occasional word-finding difficulties and poor concentration are common experiences and usually do not signify the beginnings of dementia. An important question is whether other people have noticed that you don’t appear quite as good cognitively as in the past.
Diagnostic questionnaires
St George's Hospital uses a number of tests and investigations when diagnosing a person with young onset dementia. A questionnaire about your symptoms or those of someone you are concerned about can be a good way of documenting changes or areas of concern to your GP.
After a diagnosis of young onset dementia
Receiving a diagnosis of Young Onset (sometimes referred to as Early Onset) Dementia is a big deal. You and your family will experience a range of emotions and the first thing you will probably want to do is to come together support each other in coming to terms with what’s happened. With time, you will feel able to turn your attention to some practical considerations.