Sign 3: Difficulty Completing Familiar Tasks – The Subtle Unraveling of Dementia
A growing difficulty in accomplishing familiar tasks, whether at home, work, or during leisure activities, can serve as another early indicator of dementia. This isn’t about momentarily forgetting a step in a process; it’s about facing consistent struggles with tasks that were previously done with ease.
For example, individuals might begin to struggle with familiar routes. This doesn’t mean getting slightly lost in a new city; it’s about forgetting routes that one used to know like the back of their hand, like the way to the grocery store they have been visiting for years.
Similarly, they might find managing tasks at work more challenging than before. This is not about struggling with a new project or dealing with increased workload; it’s about finding routine work tasks harder to complete, tasks that were otherwise handled effortlessly.
Another area where this difficulty might manifest is leisure activities, like forgetting the rules of a favorite game. This isn’t about forgetting an obscure rule of a rarely played game; it’s about struggling to remember the basics of games that one has enjoyed and played extensively in the past.
Consistent struggles with familiar tasks are not just about forgetfulness; they point to cognitive difficulties that interfere with a person’s ability to carry out their routine. When an individual faces persistent problems in performing tasks they were previously familiar with, it might point to early signs of dementia. (3)
