Are there ways to tell if a person is going senile?

Question

Are they ways to tell if a person is going senile or crazy? Does age have anything to do with it? Are there any signs one should be looking for? What would be postive proof that a person is going senile?

Answer 1

The term "senile" implies a lack of mental faculties due to old age. Often, this is associated with dementia. Many of the problems are caused by memory loss.

Some common signs of dementia are listed below. Not everyone who has dementia will have all of these signs.

* Recent memory loss. People with dementia might ask you the same question over and over, each time forgetting that you've already given them the answer. They won't even remember that they already asked the question.
* Difficulty performing familiar tasks. People who have dementia might cook a meal but forget to serve it. They might even forget that they cooked it.
* Problems with language. People who have dementia may forget simple words or use the wrong words. This makes it hard to understand what they want.
* Time and place disorientation. People who have dementia may get lost on their own street. They may forget how they got to a certain place and how to get back home.
* Poor judgment. People who have dementia can forget simple things, like forgetting to put on a coat before going out in cold weather.
* Problems with abstract thinking. People who have dementia may forget what numbers are and what has to be done with them if trying to balance a checkbook.
* Misplacing things. People who have dementia may put things in the wrong places. They might put an iron in the freezer or a wristwatch in the sugar bowl.
* Changes in mood. People with dementia may have fast mood swings, going from calm to tears to anger in a few minutes.
* Personality changes. People who have dementia may have drastic changes in personality. They might become irritable, suspicious or fearful.
* Loss of initiative. People who have dementia may become passive. They might not want to go places or see other people.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Answer 2

Going Senile

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Are there ways to tell if a person is going senile?
Are they ways to tell if a person is going senile or crazy? Does age have anything to do with it? Are there any signs one should be looking for? What would be postive proof that a person is going senile?

Answer 4

A thorough Neurological Evaluation should give you a definitive answer. The primary care physician can order a Neurological Evaluation so your insurance or Medicare will pay for it.

Any head trauma can result in dementia, strokes can cause dementia and can happen to anyone. Drug abuse can cause brain damage and dementia/psychological changes. If this person is unable to care for themselves like they used to, has become more passive or more aggressive, are failing to handle finances properly, ignoring personal hygiene, behaving in a manner that is not in line with their previous behavior then take them to the doctor. You might want to tell the doctor that you need them to be seen, they're acting funny, it might be mental illness or dementia. You want to say this over the phone when booking the appointment, so they know what they're getting into on appointment day.

A Neurological Evaluation is a series of tests, including; MRI or CT scan of the brain, EEG (electroencephalogram), physical exam, an interview with a Neurologist, etc.

Once the tests have been done, the Neurologist will prepare a report and send it to your primary care physician. You can ask for a copy of that report for your own records, and ask them to explain the results to you.

With a copy of the evaluation you will have a WRITTEN statement indicating the person is indeed suffering from organic brain disease, Alzheimers, or suffered a stroke, whatever the case may be.

It is vital for the person that may/may not be going senile to have regular check ups, with regular CT scans or MRI's of the brain. Over time once can see deterioration, and you have to stay on top of the progression of the brain problems.

If the person needs to be declared incompetent so others can handle their affairs, the neurologist and the primary care physician can provide you and your lawyer with any information needed.

I am the Health Care Surrogate and Power of Attorney for a family member that has dementia. It's very difficult and I can only compare it to dealing with an infant, a large infant. I wish you the best of luck and urge you to join a support group if you are the caregiver for this person. It's difficult.

Answer 5

Symptoms of dementia often aren't noticed right away. Or if they are, people sometimes assume that dementia is just a part of aging. However, as more brain cells die, more brain functions are lost, and symptoms become more severe. Common symptoms of dementia include the following:

being disoriented to time and place
changes in mood, including depression and anxiety
delusions, or believing things that are not true
hallucinations, which include hearing, seeing, feeling, and smelling things that do not exist
impaired ability to orient the body to the surrounding space
language breakdown, with slurred speech and trouble finding the right words
loss of bowel and bladder control
a loss of interest in activities that gave pleasure before
memory loss that affects the person's skills. Short-term memory, or memory of recent events, is particularly affected in people with dementia.
misplacing belongings
personality changes, including agitation, irritability, paranoia, and hostility
poor or decreased judgment
trouble doing familiar activities

Sometimes, family members may not want to face how serious their loved one's decline is. Doctors may misdiagnose the condition.

Answer 6

Below are the symptoms of dementia taken from Northwestern's site. Positive proof that someone is going senile (which is slang for becoming demented) would involve extensive testing called neuropsychological testing. This sort of testing can pick up subtle deficits in cognition that may not be obvious in every day living. Hope this helps!

Symptoms of Dementia
Symptoms that signal the onset of dementia are usually subtle and may not be noticeable for a number of years. In fact, earlier signs usually are identified in retrospect, and often by someone other than the patient. Most people think of memory loss as the central symptom in dementia. While most dementias affect memory, some forms of dementia do not initially involve memory loss. Other areas that may be affected include language, perceptual skills, reasoning, and personality. This is especially true in individuals whose symptoms begin before age 65.

Ten Warning Symptoms of Alzheimer's disease or dementia.
Memory Loss That Affects Job Skills
It's normal to occasionally forget assignments, colleagues' names, or a business associate's telephone number and remember them later. Those with a dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease, may forget things more often and not remember them later.


Difficulty Performing Familiar Tasks
Busy people can be so distracted from time to time that they may leave the carrots on the stove and only remember to serve them at the end of the meal. People with Alzheimer's disease could prepare a meal and not only forget to serve it but also forget they made it.


Problems with Language
Everyone has trouble finding the right word sometimes, but a person with Alzheimer's disease may forget simple words or substitute inappropriate words, making his or her sentence incomprehensible.


Disorientation of Time and Place
It's normal to forget the day of the week or your destination for a moment. But people with Alzheimer's disease can become lost on their own street, not knowing where they are, how they got there or how to get back home.


Poor or Impaired Judgment
People can become so immersed in an activity that they temporarily forget the child they're watching. People with Alzheimer's disease could forget entirely the child under their care. They also may dress inappropriately, wearing several shirts or blouses.


Problems with Abstract Thinking
Balancing a checkbook may be disconcerting when the task is more complicated than usual. Someone with Alzheimer's disease could forget completely what the numbers are and what needs to be done with them.


Misplacing Things
Anyone can temporarily misplace a wallet or keys. A person with Alzheimer's disease may put things in inappropriate places: an iron in the freezer, or a wristwatch in the sugar bowl.


Changes in Mood or Behavior
Everyone becomes sad or moody occasionally. Someone with Alzheimer's disease can exhibit rapid mood swings (from calm to tears to anger) for no apparent reason.


Changes in Personality
People's personalities ordinarily change somewhat with age. But a person with Alzheimer's disease can show drastic personality changes, becoming extremely confused, suspicious, or fearful.


Loss of Initiative
It's normal to tire of housework, business activities, or social obligations, but most people regain their initiative. The person with Alzheimer's disease may become very passive and require cues and prompting to become involved.



[These warning signs were taken from publications of the National Alzheimer's Association.]

Answer 7

Well it has to do with the mind and how much negative energy you have in you reactive mind. The more you have charged up the reactive mind the lesser are you able to think and remember and you feel like "to loose your mind" But it can be addressed and the negative charge gotten out of the reactive mind. I knew people 80-90 years old who were really good with here mind

Answer 8

they may say things that doesn't make any scents . or repeat things they just said .

Answer 9

they keep making fond of them self

Answer 10

mother what are you asking me of coures i let the dogs out into the pasture to feed .