Memory problems alone don’t mean you he dementia. The symptoms must significantly interfere with your everyday life for a doctor to diagnose dementia.
Dementia can cause impairments that affect:
memoryreasoning and problem-solving abilitieslanguage skillscommunicationfocusDepending on the cause, if a doctor diagnoses dementia early, treatment options may help slow cognitive decline.
1. Subtle short-term memory changesHing trouble with memory can be an early symptom of dementia. The changes are often subtle and tend to involve short-term memory. A person with dementia may be able to remember events that took place years ago but not what they had for breakfast.
A person with dementia may he other changes in their short-term memory, such as:
forgetting where they placed itemsstruggling to remember why they entered a particular roomforgetting what they were supposed to do on any given daydifficulty finishing a task they started, like forgetting to turn off the oven after cooking2. Difficulty finding the right wordsAnother early symptom of dementia is difficulty with communicating thoughts. A person with dementia may he difficulty explaining something or finding the right words to express themselves. They may also stop in the middle of a sentence and not know how to continue.
Hing a conversation with a person who has dementia can be challenging, and it may take longer than usual for them to express their thoughts or feelings.
3. Changes in moodA change in mood is also common with dementia. If you he dementia, it may not be easy to recognize this in yourself, but you may notice this change in someone else. Depression, for instance, is common in the early stages of dementia.
Someone who has dementia may also seem more fearful or anxious than they were before. They may get easily upset if their usual daily routine changes, or if they find themselves in unfamiliar situations.
Along with mood changes, you might also notice a shift in personality.
4. ApathyApathy, or listlessness, is a common symptom of early dementia. A person with dementia may lose interest in hobbies or activities they used to enjoy. They may not want to go out anymore or he fun.
They may also lose interest in spending time with friends and family and seem emotionally flat.
5. Difficulty completing tasksA subtle shift in the ability to complete everyday tasks is another possible early indicator of dementia. This usually starts with difficulty doing more complex tasks, like:
keeping track of bills and financesfollowing a recipeplaying a game that has a lot of rulesAlong with completing familiar tasks, a person with dementia may find it hard to learn new things or follow new routines.
6. ConfusionSomeone in the early stages of dementia may often become confused. They may he trouble remembering faces, knowing what day or month it is, or figuring out where they are.
Confusion can occur for a number of reasons and apply to different situations. For example, they may misplace their car keys, forget what comes next in the day, or he difficulty remembering someone they recently met.
7. Difficulty following storylinesDifficulty following storylines is a classic early symptom of dementia. People with dementia often forget the meaning of words they hear or find it difficult to follow conversations or TV programs.
8. A failing sense of directionA person’s sense of direction and spatial orientation can start to worsen with the onset of dementia. They may he difficulty recognizing common landmarks and forget how to get to places that were once familiar.
It may also become more difficult to follow a series of directions and step-by-step instructions.
9. RepetitionThe person may repeat daily tasks, such as shing or bathing, or they may collect items obsessively. They may repeat the same questions in a conversation or tell the same story more than once.
10. Difficulty adapting to changeFor someone in the early stages of dementia, the experience can cause fear. Suddenly, they can’t remember people they know or follow what others are saying. They can’t remember why they went to the store and may get lost on the way home.
Because of this, they might cre routine and be afraid to try new experiences. Difficulty adapting to change is also a typical symptom of early dementia.
11. Poor judgmentAnother consequence of cognitive decline is losing the ability to make good decisions. For instance, a person with dementia may be unable to recognize dangerous situations. They may try to walk across a busy street without waiting until it’s safe or head outside wearing summer clothes when it’s snowing.
Another hallmark of poor judgment with dementia is the inability to use good financial judgment. Someone who was previously careful with their money may start giving money away to people or causes they hardly know.