Money problems can be an early sign of dementia
CNN
Financial files in disarray. Late payments and last-warning service-cutoff notices. Multiple daily bank withdrawals. Out-of-character purchases.
Financial files in disarray. Late payments and last-warning service-cutoff notices. Multiple daily bank withdrawals. Out-of-character purchases. When a family member who has been fairly responsible with money all their lives becomes careless with their finances, it may be one sign of as-yet-undiagnosed dementia. Researchers at the New York Federal Reserve who analyzed both US credit reporting and Medicare data found that in the five years before a dementia diagnosis, a person’s average credit scores may start to weaken and their payment delinquencies rise. “The harmful financial effects of undiagnosed memory disorders exacerbate the already substantial financial pressure households face upon diagnosis,” the researchers wrote. “Beyond susceptibility to payment delinquency, early stage [Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders] may affect new account openings and debt accumulation, credit utilization, and/or credit mix.” Their findings echo the results of a 2020 study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Marcey Tidwell, who lives in Bloomington, Indiana, said those findings are “not remotely shocking.” Tidwell’s mother was diagnosed with a form of dementia in 2020 and has been living with her daughter ever since.