Intense and quick changes in a individuals mood can be an early sign of dementia. If a person tends to be easily triggered in everyday situations or there is an increase in suspiciousness and fearfulness. Their emotions are triggered very easily and can be quite intense. For example, one can get very angry about something a family member said to them although it shouldn’t. They can also get angry due to a loss of independence in doing everyday chores and tasks.

A person tends to be more forgetful and starts to rely heavily on memory aids such as sticky notes. They also tend to repeat themselves noticeably often. There is a noticeable difference in their short-term memory as they forget very recent events easily.

An individual starts paying less attention to money management, neglects hygiene and pets. They also fall for obvious tricks such as scams and hacks. These individuals start to neglect certain factors necessary to good decision-making.

The person starts to place objects in places they would not usually and then forget where these objects are. For example, keys in the bathroom, milk in the cupboard, and other similar events.

The individual has difficulty joining or following a conversation, and starting one. They also increasingly forget common words while talking or writing. They start replacing these words with general terms, like “thing”. For example, “What are you doing on that thing in your hands?” when they are referring to your phone.

You start to notice a change in attitude when it comes to going to social events or even work. The person doesn’t want to go anywhere or do anything outside of their home. They stop going to places like the office, church, etc. Social isolation can accelerate the decline of dementia and further impact the person living with it.

The person has difficulty with actions they have been doing for years. They can have difficulty remembering how to pay their bills or how to cook their favourite meal. This person also has a hard time acquiring new sets of skills. They may not understand what others want from them, hence making them angry and agitated.

There is going to be a change in the persons’ capabilities performing everyday tasks. They will start having difficulty with things like cooking, driving, shopping, and more. These capabilities will slowly decline as time passes and the person will become more dependent on external help.

A person potentially affected by dementia will have more difficulty with their balance and will often trip over things. They will have a hard time judging the distance of objects whether it is in front of them or across a room. You may also notice that spilling and dropping things will become more frequent.

The person will start to lose track of dates and days of the week. They will have a hard time understanding events that they will attend later. You will start to notice an increasing amount of confusion and the person will seem somewhat lost.