Dementia causes memory loss that can disrupt daily life, like forgetting important information. People with dementia may have trouble completing familiar tasks, such as using a phone or driving, and may want to stop these tasks as a result.

Emotional and behavioral changes, like personality shifts, are common early warning signs of dementia.

Early warning signs of dementia include changes in daily functioning, problem-solving, spatial awareness, and memory. Emotional and behavioral shifts may also indicate the onset of dementia.

Types of Dementia

Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia. In fact, up to 80% of all dementia cases are due to Alzheimer's disease. Other primary types of dementia include frontotemporal dementia, Lewy body dementia, and vascular dementia.

With normal memory changes, you may forget a date or a person's name and then remember at a later time.

One of the hallmark warning signs of dementia is forgetting information that you just learned and then not remembering the details at all. For example, if a loved one tells you about their day, you might forget that you had a conversation with them altogether.

Dementia-related memory loss may cause you to:

Have difficulty creating new memories

Forget important information, such as your home address, phone number, or the name of your spouse

Lose track of medications you need to take or appointments you need to go to

Depend on memory aids like phone reminders or handwritten notes

Ask the same question over and over

Get lost in familiar places

Making plans, following instructions, and solving daily problems can become more challenging with dementia. These changes are sometimes known as executive dysfunction, challenges with cognitive (thinking-related) abilities like planning and organizing.

This warning sign can manifest in the following ways:

Forgetting to pay bills

Difficulty concentrating on activities like reading or playing games

Not being able to follow directions on a map or recipe instructions in a cookbook

Dementia can often make it difficult to stick to your daily routine and finish tasks you're already familiar with. This change can make you forget how to:

With dementia, time starts to feel blurry. It can be easy to forget which day it is, what season you're in, or where you are.

Most people lose track of time once in a while, especially when busy at work or engaged in a fun activity, but dementia can cause disorientation that can affect your life in these ways:

Not remembering how you arrived somewhere

Trying to walk into someone else's home thinking it's your own

Thinking it's winter when it's actually summer

Feeling like you've time-traveled to a previous period of your life

As you get older, it's normal to have some vision changes, like not being able to see things up close or having cataracts.

Dementia-related vision problems can be more severe because your brain tissue is directly connected to your eyes. Your vision and spatial orientation can also become compromised.

As a result, you may notice these changes:

Trouble reading words

Losing balance or having trouble walking

Difficulty judging distance or how far one thing is from another

Not being able to tell the difference between two colors

Dropping things or tripping over items frequently

Communication can become difficult if you have dementia. People with dementia may start losing the ability to understand conversations or express themselves verbally or in writing.

Problems with communication may cause you to:

Forget what you were saying

Stop talking in the middle of your sentence

Repeat yourself multiple times

Have trouble understanding what someone else is saying to you

Misremember the name of a word

Say words that don't make sense

Dementia-related memory loss can make it easy to lose items and not find them again. Consider the following examples:

Leaving your phone or book in a room and not being able to retrace your steps

Putting your watch or jewelry in the refrigerator

Hiding items for safekeeping and then forgetting where the hiding spot is located

Collecting or hoarding unnecessary or broken items

Searching for items you think are missing but are actually not

The ability to pay attention to yourself or your surroundings and make decisions often decreases with dementia.

A loss of judgment can also lead to questionable actions and inappropriate choices. Here's what that can look like:

Not washing your hands after using the bathroom

Forgetting to take care of a pet

Walking across the road on a busy street

Falling for scams or being a victim of fraud

Wearing summer clothes during winter stormy weather

Because dementia affects the health of your brain cells, it's common to lose your ability to complete tasks and activities you've done for a long time.

For example, if dementia is causing communication troubles, you may stop trying to start a conversation with others. If you notice that you're frequently getting lost or having trouble following directions, you might avoid driving.

Changes in your normal abilities can make you feel isolated, lonely, or disengaged. These feelings can be extremely hard to deal with. In some cases, you might not even realize you're withdrawing until a loved one notices or says something.

Some examples of withdrawal may include:

Avoiding social gatherings with your family and friends

Losing interest in your hobbies

Skipping regular activities like going for a walk or to a restaurant you enjoy

Not being able to follow the news or keep up-to-date with your favorite sports team

With dementia, it's common to also experience changes in how you feel or act.

These changes might be difficult for you to notice on your own. A loved one typically recognizes personality shifts first. Personality changes may include: