Dementia is a progressive neurological disorder that gradually affects one’s memory, communication, and judgment. The symptoms may interfere with one’s daily routine. Dementia can be challenging to diagnose as many of its symptoms overlap with other health conditions, and it has no permanent cure. However, early diagnosis can help one be better prepared to manage the disease. So doctors advise learning about and recognizing the following seven early signs of dementia.

Memory loss and confusion
Loss of memory, reduced comprehension, and inability to make decisions are common problems people with dementia may experience. The affected person becomes more and more forgetful and may have isolated incidents where they can’t remember or recall things. There is no consistent or identifiable pattern for this kind of memory loss, as the severity of the condition varies from person to person. At the advanced stages, one might start asking the same questions over and over again, even when they have been answered.

Feeling disoriented
Disorientation affects a person’s ability to navigate a familiar or known space. Being unable to adjust and adapt to the surroundings is another early sign of dementia. Symptoms can range from forgetting one’s way home or losing their general sense of direction to difficulty following directions or gauging distance. One might misplace things more frequently, forget their way to the supermarket or a known destination, or struggle with easy directions and routes.

Changes in mood
Dementia is a progressive disorder that affects one’s cognitive function. So, personality and behavioral changes are inevitable. Increased feelings of anxiety, fear, and confusion may start to develop. One may experience frequent mood swings and struggle to get through the day. Common changes include losing interest in favorite activities, developing an irrational suspicion, and poor judgment. All these changes result in poor decision-making and trouble adapting to one’s surroundings.

Impulsive or aggressive actions
Personality changes can also trigger impulsive or aggressive behavior. This is also brought on by the frustration of being unable to perform daily tasks with ease. This inability deeply affects one’s psyche, making them feel upset, irritated, and angry. For example, people with dementia may easily lose their calm in a non-provoking situation. They may also feel afraid or suspicious of people and surroundings. Aggression without apparent reason is one of the major signs of dementia that should not be overlooked. This is because it can become difficult to keep one out of harm’s way if loved ones cannot anticipate the extent of aggression or its outcomes.

Language and speech issues
The brain is the nerve center of the body and its responses are controlled by an intricate network of neurotransmitters. However, neurological disorders like dementia can disrupt these signals, resulting in speech and language impairment. Symptoms range from misspelled words and mispronunciation to major errors in sentence construction. At advanced stages, one may forget simple words and names of everyday objects and experience trouble describing and understanding what is being said. For example, those with dementia may refer to a wristwatch as a hand clock, having forgotten the name.

Social isolation
Dementia can gradually affect one’s speech, trigger personality changes, and make it difficult for a person to function as they normally would. Its symptoms make the affected person more conscious in social situations. As a result, they tend to withdraw into isolation and avoid social settings. This withdrawal stems from a fear of public embarrassment. For instance, what if they cannot speak properly or comprehend simple conversations? What if mood swings trigger abrupt responses and actions that are not socially acceptable? These fears may force people with dementia to shy away from social groups, and they may only feel safe in the company of loved ones.

Repetition
Repetitive actions or speech are also common early signs of dementia. For instance, shaving multiple times or taking frequent baths a day. These are all signs that one is experiencing trouble remembering tasks they have already completed. The repetition is not just limited to routine tasks but can turn into tendencies beyond the patient’s control. For example, the disease can make one collect and hoard items impulsively without a second thought. They can hold on to objects even if they have no utility or value to them.