Sue Radford, mother to Britain’s biggest family and star of the hit Channel 5 show 22 Kids and Counting, was visibly muted in the series’ latest episode after witnessing the impact of a friend’s early dementia diagnosis.
During an emotive scene, Sue confided to viewers: “Gradually her memory will get worse, it’s a reality check, it could happen to anyone and you never know what’s around the corner.” The revelation clearly shook her, as she admitted it had “knocked her for six.”
In the UK, approximately 7.5% of dementia cases are diagnosed before the age of 65. Statistics from Dementia UK suggest there are about 70,800 individuals across the nation battling young onset dementia.
Echoing the concern, a daughter whose mother showed Alzheimer’s symptoms in her 40s has recently spoken out on social media. On the Love Your Grief TikTok account, the woman outlined key signs to watch for, saying: “If you have a loved one that is struggling with memory issues, please listen up.
“I’m going to be telling you five things that you should be watching for in your loved one that’s having memory issues.”
Struggling with familiar tasks
Love Your Grief explained that “familiar tasks” could include duties your loved one would typically perform at work or being unable to clean their kitchen or prepare meals, reports Surrey Live. If you notice them struggling with anything they have “always done on a daily basis,” it might be a warning sign.
“They have a very hard time doing them,” Love Your Grief added.
Social withdrawal
“If you feel like they are a big extrovert, they will suddenly start to feel like more of an introvert,” Love Your Grief said. She noted her mum had been “very overwhelmed by big groups” and “big events.”
Communication issues
“You won’t be able to have a conversation with them because their sentences will start to become very scrambled and they will have a hard time following conversations with you as well,” Love Your Grief stated.
The NHS lists “struggling to follow a conversation or find the right word” as one symptom of dementia, but this alone does not necessarily indicate dementia.
Confusion with time and place
Love Your Grief explained that your loved one may not be able to tell you the current year or what season it is. “They will often not be able to tell you how to get home on normal paths that you have always done,” she added.
“My mum would just go to the gym at random times and she would be upset that my dad wasn’t there. That’s because she didn’t understand the concept of time.”
Personality and mood changes
Experts are emphasising the importance of tracking changes in behaviour that could signal early signs of dementia. “A big thing that is important to watch for is [a] change in personality.
“They may become more moody, they may become more depressed. They [may] seclude themselves from social situations and not want to be around the people that they normally do.
“They often become very irritable and agitated with the people around them like nothing you have seen before.”
The NHS lists symptoms of dementia as perplexity about time and place, failing memory, trouble focusing, difficulty with familiar daily tasks, struggle to keep up with a conversation or finding the right word, along with mood swings. These symptoms hold true whether it’s early onset dementia or forms that manifest after 65.