Dementia symptoms

Common symptoms of dementia

Each person experiences dementia in their own individual way. Different types of dementia also tend to affect people differently, especially in the early stages.

However, there are some common early signs and symptoms of dementia. 

These include:

• Memory loss – for example, problems recalling things that happened recently.
• Difficulty concentrating, planning or organising – for example, struggling to make decisions, solve problems or follow a series of steps (such as cooking a meal).
• Problems with language and communication – for example, difficulties following a conversation or finding the right word for something.
• Misunderstanding what is being seen – for example, problems judging distances (such as on stairs) or perceiving the edges of objects, and misinterpreting patterns or reflections.
• Being confused about time or place – for example, losing track of the time or date, or becoming confused about where they are.
• Mood changes or difficulty controlling emotions – for example, becoming unusually anxious, irritable, sad or frightened, losing interest in things and personality changes.
   

Symptoms as dementia progresses

As a person’s dementia progresses they are likely to experience additional symptoms:

• Aggressive behaviour – as a person’s dementia progresses, they may sometimes behave in ways that are physically or verbally aggressive.
• Walking about - walking repeatedly around at home or leaving the house during the day or night.
• Lack of insight - when a person with dementia is unable to recognise changes in their behaviour and emotions.
• Sleep problems – As well as disruption to their body clock, a person with dementia may sleep more in the day and have difficulty sleeping at night.
• Delusions – strongly believing something that is false.