Overview
- An NHS message issued this week calls on families to watch for irritability, forgetfulness, disorientation and difficulty following conversation during holiday gatherings and to encourage a GP visit if noticed.
- Official guidance highlights common early symptoms that warrant assessment, including memory loss, confusion about time and place, mood changes and struggling with familiar tasks such as handling money.
- Experts say behavioural changes can be early indicators, with Dr Byron Creese pointing to agitation, aggression, anxiety and social withdrawal that may appear alongside or before memory problems.
- NHS England reports 512,525 people have a formal dementia diagnosis, up from 499,068 a year earlier, as the service works toward identifying at least two in three people living with the condition.
- Care clinicians advise reassessing safety at home when red flags arise, with Dr Tim Mercer citing falls, weight loss and caregiver strain, and Dr Jane Pritchard warning that hazardous kitchen mistakes should prompt an early evaluation.