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The signs and symptoms of mixed dementia can vary widely, depending on the brain region affected and type of brain changes involved. In the majority of cases, symptoms of mixed dementia may be similar to or even indistinguishable from the symptoms of another form of dementia, such as Alzheimers disease.

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Pam mentioned many of the signs, though I think that these hold true for men and women, equally. The differences may come in what they did for a living or what their life was like before dementia.

If a bookkeeper can no longer balance a checkbook, there's likely a problem. If someone who was a good driver starts scraping up the car, there's likely a problem. However, if an "absent minded professor" type of person (male or female) forgets some food in the fridge, you need to ask yourself if this is their "normal" behavior or is it new behavior. New behaviors seems to be a clue to most all types of dementia.
Please keep in touch when you are up to it,
Carol
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Early on, at age 75, mom was forgetful. At 85 she became anxious and showed mood swings. She stopped paying bills she did not like, such as doctors and dentists and taxes. She would call late at night because she "heard something beeping". She would dial wrong numbers on the phone.
All four corners of her car had unexplained scratches. Look for the little things, like no longer getting books or magazines (loss of reading comprehension). Unpaid bills (monitor her banking). Rotten food in the fridge. Pans that have scorch marks on the bottom. Appliances that "don't work". Forgotten appointments. Buying things that she already has.
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In hindsight, I would say the first signs of my mother's dementia - started when she was around 85, caring for my father - were increased anxiety y about everything, but especially anxiety and difficult with her checkbook, appointment book/calendar and anything that had to do with numbers. Perfect example - she was a professor, wrote well and had always helped others with their writing. Around 87, friend asked her to critique a manuscript. She gave helpful, cogent suggestions, well-written, clear, logical. But when the manuscript fell to the floor, and the numbered pages got mixed up, she could not, to her extreme frustration and, I see now, fear, put them back in order.
I would guess, as Carol said above, that the signs of dementia, especially early, are not that different for men and women. But I have read a lot, as my mother's dementia has progressed (she's now 91 and in a memory impairment facility) that trouble with checkbooks and appointments are classic early signs.
Best wishes and good luck - it's a rough road.
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For my mil I'd say anxiety, personality changes including such things as swearing and loosing her temper. No understanding of time,distance, or value. Then it worsened into accusing us of turning on her, her husband cheating on her, the mail lady stealing her mail, people breaking into her house and stealing her things. Now tells us that there is a woman with dark hair that lives in their house with them and blames her or everything. She sees her having sex with her husband. ( no such lady exists)
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Putting the wrong check in the envelope. Start cooking canned green beans before even peeling potatoes to make mashed potatoes. Having multiple bags of 5 pound sugar when she uses a substitute sweetener and no longer bakes. Not laundering undergarments because her reasoning was she does not sweat. So being scatter-brained, having timing issues and judgement were the actual above onset issues I neglected to see at the time. In hindsight it was all too clear.
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I would say "the last ditch effort" for dementia is when the elder doesn't realize she/he can no longer run a household any longer and THEY DON'T ASK FOR HELP!!!!!! THIS WAS MY LATE MOTHER'S CASE-NEVER ONCE SPOKE UP ABOUT IT AND I HAD TO LEAVE MY MARYLAND HOME AND MOVE IN WITH HER WHERE SHE WAS LIVING SOLO IN HER MASSACHUSETTS HOME. Very hard!
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For being a pretty smart girl I was incredibly stupid when it came to recognizing my mother was showing signs of dementia. I didn't understand what dementia really was - kinda thought it was a generic catch-all word for describing "normal" age related decline. It didn't help that my mother had always been an incredibly stubborn, difficult person - very eccentric all my life. Signs? My mother had been extremely frugal her whole life but started writing up to 40 checks a month to charity requests that came in the mail. Refusing to shower. Wearing clothes that clearly needed laundering. Buying boxes and boxes of baking ingredients when she no longer baked. Becoming obsessed with her calendar and appointments. Blaming everyone else for everything else and/or making up convoluted stories about mistakes that she had made. I still hadn't caught on when I discovered she was flushing her medications or calling me in the middle of the night to ask whether it was 4:00 am or pm! Looking back I feel like such a moron - if I have any defense at all its that mom could "showtime" like nobody's business and I actually identified her problem before her doctors, her part time caregiver and way before my siblings.
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Carefor16: Totally agree. They're going to say they don't need help.
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Thanks everyone for your replies. I am looking for more positive attitude towards question. And again thanks for your informative answers. I read everyone's answer and they are awesome.....
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Causes - I don't understand your comment "looking for more positive answers". When describing the onset of dementia I personally can't find anything that would classify as a positive but perhaps I am not understanding what you mean. Could you explain and perhaps we could be more helpful?
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