What are the early signs of Dementia?

1. Forgetting names of people, recent events, finding appropriate words.
2. keeping track of appointments, payment of Bills, etc.
3. Having problems in multitasking, having short attention span.
4. May leave common tasks incomplete, have difficulty in following new routines, and lack initiative.
5. Repeating the same thing over and over again, difficulty finding the right words.
6. Unable to remember for what one has come to the room or where the specs or the car keys are kept.
7. Changes in mood, e.g. may become anxious and restless or very quiet, show no interest in day-to-day or social activities, at times confused, lose interest in activities they enjoyed earlier.
8. Increase in compulsive ritualistic behavior, extreme hoarding may have difficulty completing tasks e.g., keeping track of bills, following a recipe, etc.
9. May have poor direction sense, recognize familiar landmarks, and lose their way on familiar tracks.
10. Difficulty following, initiating, and or participating in a conversation, interpreting a proverb or sarcasm, or even skipping lines while reading.
11. Unable to make good decisions and have poor financial judgment, Increased tendency to lose balance and fall.
12. Pay less attention to personal grooming and hygiene.
13. Disregard of law and other social norms in a previously law-abiding citizen.
14. Loss of sense of smell and also change of taste (preference for sweets).