Your suddenly befuddled client may not have “lost it.” She may have lost some sleep or vitamins instead.
The suddenness of a change itself is probably a red flag that a client’s unusual appearance isn’t a symptom of dementia. Cognitive decline is a process that often takes months or years.
“If someone was clear last week but this week [is] in a deep fog, maybe something very different has happened,” says Ruth Drew, director of family and information services at the Alzheimer’s Association.
The good news about that “something different” is that the symptom masquerading as dementia may be treatable or curable. It may instead be a vitamin deficiency or depression.
While memory loss is often seen as a sign of Alzheimer’s, Drew says there are a wide variety of health issues that can cause forgetfulness.
Drew was a panelist at a recent SIMFA/Finra conference touching on cognitive decline in elder financial abuse.
The conference itself stemmed from a growing concern about elder scams, which have prompted a number of states to allow financial advisors to suspend transactions when fraud is suspected against a vulnerable senior.
Few people are as robust at 70 as they were at 20, often just because of the normal wear and tear of life.
According to the association, typical life changes brought on by aging can include:
*Making a bad decision once in a while.