As we age and the years go by, we all begin to feel more responsible for our own health and that of others. Also for this reason we become more attentive and sensitive to any changes in the behavior of those around us. So you can immediately notice possible discomfort.
However, if on the one hand this attitude can be considered a gesture of love towards those we love, on the other it could represent a continuous reason for anxiety and stress.
What you can
It is therefore very important, for example in the attention we reserve for one of our parents, not to fall into paranoia and, on the contrary, to try to remain objective.
After all, if you are not aware of the materia medica, all you can do is simply observe. Without, however, unnecessarily alarming. In fact, only a doctor will be able to give a specific diagnosis. All we can do, at best, is to understand when to actually book a visit.
Not everyone knows that this too could be a sneaky and deceptive sign of dementia
It is therefore only with this objective, and not with that of causing anxiety or anguish, that we are going to talk about a behavioral symptom linked to dementia. In fact, only by obtaining information from accredited sources will you be able to reassure yourself or, on the contrary, understand when it is actually necessary to consult a doctor.
The symptom we are talking about today is called wandering and is very common in patients suffering from this terrible and common disease. In fact, as is well explained in a document presented by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, wandering is part of the psychomotor activity disorders. We are therefore talking about secondary symptoms that the patient puts in place as a response to the primary cognitive symptoms of the disease.
By wandering we mean, precisely, wandering without a goal or a specific purpose. Both for home and on the street. This behavior is not only the cause of a strong mental confusion but also of restlessness and, therefore, of the inability to relax and remain still. Not surprisingly, among these signals, we could also find akathisia, an attitude very similar to wandering.
We repeat that the presence of one of these behaviors alone cannot justify any concern. However, if persistent and present alongside other suspicious attitudes, it could prove to be a good reason to speak to a specialist. The only one able to give us a right and correct diagnosis. For all concerned, therefore, we have just seen how not everyone knows that this too could be a sneaky and deceptive sign of dementia.