Dementia is the loss of cognitive functioning and behavioral abilities to a great extent that they interfere with how a person conducts their daily life. The term refers to an array of conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, which is a result of abnormal brain changes. The changes cause a decline in cognitive abilities affecting a person’s daily life. It is essential to distinguish dementia vs. Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s is a progressive condition that leads to reduced brain abilities. Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia are the major types of dementia. Predisposing factors for dementia include age, cholesterol, atherosclerosis, plasma homocysteine, diabetes, and alcohol use.

There are over ten early signs of dementia, but for a patient to be diagnosed with dementia, they would have to exhibit two or more of the symptoms, which would also need to be severe enough to disrupt the patient’s daily life:

1. Memory loss
Patients who have dementia may find it hard to remember simple information that they would normally be having, such as dates or events. Such patients rely on other people or memory aids to follow up on things and keep track. People usually forget things occasionally and may remember them later. This problem increases with age, but in dementia, memory loss is irreversible.

2. Difficulty planning and solving problems
People who have dementia find it hard to solve simple problems such as adding up numbers or paying bills and may need to be helped. They may also find it hard to follow instructions e.g., using a recipe for cooking or following directions while driving.

3. Confusion about time and place
People with dementia find it hard to judge the passing of time and may even forget where they are from time to time. This makes it for them to understand events in both the past and the future.

4. Difficulty decoding visual information
Dementia patients normally find it hard to decipher visual information making it hard for them to read or judge distances. They also find it hard to differentiate between colors.

5. Speech problems
People who have dementia may find it hard to engage and follow through conversation. During a conversation, they may forget what they are saying or what the other person has just said. As the condition progresses, the patient’s spelling, grammar, and punctuation go from bad to worse, and their handwriting may become illegible.

6. Poor judgment
People with dementia may find it hard to understand what is fair and normal and may end up making poor decisions on what to buy and how much to pay for them. For this reason, they may need to be supervised to avoid making the wrong decisions. Some may stop paying attention to their hygiene and may need to be reminded.

7. Misplacing things
People with dementia may occasionally forget where they placed things in ordinary life, such as remote controls, cash, or keys. This can be frustrating to the patients who sometimes end up accusing other people of stealing.

8. Difficulty doing simple and familiar tasks
People with dementia experience difficulties doing simple things that they know how to do. They may cook and forget to serve part of the meal.

9. Withdrawal from socializing
Due to frequent changes in mood, people with dementia may withdraw from socializing and may prefer to be alone. Some can become more outgoing, while others become disinterested.

10. Changes in personality and moods
People normally experience different moods fluctuating from sad to happy, but those with dementia experience rapid mood swings for no reason. They usually become confused and suspicious.