Four early warning signs of dementia that can be spotted in how you walk
There are more than 55 million people with dementia worldwide, and nearly 10 million new cases, according to the World Health Organisation.
As people live for longer, these figures are expected to increase, with old age being the biggest risk factor for the disease. Dementia is a general term for losing the ability to remember, think or make decisions - to an extent that it interferes with a person's daily life.
Most people with the disease are diagnosed late because tests are complex and symptoms can be vague. A late diagnosis means sufferers get less time to try possible treatment options and make important decisions about their future.
While memory loss and things like losing your wallet or forgetting to pay bills, missing appointments or getting lost, are all signs of the disease, there are other, less well-known symptoms. New research has found the way someone walks can be an early indicator of the most common form of the disease, Alzheimer’s.
Here are four ways your walk can warn you you're at increased risk of developing dementia.
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Worse sense of direction
Losing your sense of direction regularly could be a sign of early dementia. A new study carried out by a team at UCL and published earlier this month discovered people with the disease “overestimated turns” and had a worse sense of direction when retracing their steps.
Prof Gill Livingston, a psychiatrist at University College London told The Sun: "People with early-stage Alzheimer’s can struggle to understand objects properly so they see things as 3D when they're not, or even 2D when actually 3D. It means they see objects which aren't there, which can force them to walk in a new direction while trying to avoid it. Or it means they can fall over things they think are flat."
Slower pace
Walking progressively slower each year could also be a sign of dementia. A large Australian study, which looked at the walking speeds of over 17,000 adults over age 65, found those whose pace fell by five per cent or more annually were most likely to develop dementia, compared to those whose walking speed didn't change.
Smaller strides
People who suffer from dementia are also more likely to have smaller strides when walking, studies have shown. US research published in 2016 found that smaller steps and wider gait could point to a decline in memory. However, experts aren't sure why these walking patterns are common among people with the disease.
A change in arm swing
How a person swings their arms while they walk could uncover a sign of dementia, experts have suggested. Several studies have found moving the arms less while walking is an early warning sign of the condition.
Professor Gill said this is due to those with dementia "struggle" to keep balance while on the move. "To try and stay upright and maintain balance sufferers tend to use swing their arms more but keep their arms closer to their body."
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