Dementia is a term used to refer to the loss of cognitive abilities, problem solving skills, language and memory. In fact, dementia is a group of diseases that result due to abnormal changes in the brain. There are different types of dementia, including Alzheimer’s dementia, mixed dementia, and vascular dementia.

Damage to brain cells is the main cause of dementia. This damage causes communication issues from brain to body, affecting the majority of cognitive processes. Below are some of the early signs of dementia to watch out for:

1. Memory loss
Memory loss is one of the most common signs and symptoms of dementia, especially during the early stages. A dementia patient forgets any information learnt irrespective of how recent it was taught or told. Memory loss may also present itself through the patient using reminder notes for references, asking the same questions over and over, or forgetting important events and dates. Forgetting appointments and names of people and places may also be related to the normal aging process, but these memory slips are usually just temporary.

2. Problem solving difficulties
Some dementia patients may find it hard to work with numbers, for instance, keeping track of monthly bills or following recipe measurement. This could result in taking much more time to finish tasks they used to complete in a short period. Also, concentrating and focusing on one thing at a time can be an issue for dementia patients. On most occasions, dementia patients may make errors when handling household and financial bills.

3. Confusion about time and place
Most people living with dementia find it hard to keep track of seasons, dates, days, time, and schedules. It becomes hard for them to understand something that is not happening immediately. Occasionally, dementia patients may forget where they are, who took them there, and how to get home. The most common problem about confusing time and place with dementia patients is forgetting what day of the week it is.

4. Challenges understanding visual information
Some dementia patients have trouble understanding spatial and visual relationships. Most patients display vision problems as an early sign of dementia. This symptom of dementia may make it difficult for patients to read. Also, they may be unable to determine distance, determine contrast and color, and this may result in driving issues. However, these vision color changes can also be related to cataracts.

5. Speech issues
Some dementia patients have problems with writing and speaking. Joining or following a conversation may become a challenge. They may stop or become confused in the middle of a conversation or struggle with pronouncing and naming certain words, such as familiar objects or people’s names.

6. Misplacing personal items
For many patients living with dementia, it may be common for them to place their belonging in unusual places and forget where they put them. This may lead to loss of personal items, and they may be unable to backtrack their steps to find the item. As the disease progresses, this symptom can present as paranoia, and the patient may accuse others of stealing their belongings.