15 Early Warning Signs and Symptoms of Dementia

4. Repetition. “If a person is being told by family or friends that they are repeating questions or repeating stories and statements in a short timeframe, without seeming to realize that they just told the person that, or they just asked that same question and it was answered, that’s a red flag,” Whitson says.  

5. Personality changes. A sudden and routine loss of interest in family, friends, work and social events can be a warning sign of dementia. “People may feel less comfortable in social situations — holding a conversation, remembering the conversation — so they may start to withdraw from social situations,” Heidebrink says.

A 2023 study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease found that apathy may be a sign that someone is progressing from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) — symptoms of memory loss or thinking problems that are not as severe as dementia — to Alzheimer’s disease.  Acting increasingly anxious, confused, fearful or suspicious may also be a sign of dementia, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.  

6. New sleep behaviors. While Whitson says sleep issues can be “very common” among older adults, some sleep behaviors, such as sleepwalking, are not a normal part of aging. “It’s important to know that there are some types of dementia that are associated with altered sleep behavior — acting out dreams or talking in your sleep, when that wasn’t something that the person used to do,” Whitson says.  

7. Worsening sense of direction. Changes in sense of direction can also occur with dementia, Dickson says, and this can manifest in things like difficulty driving and getting lost in familiar environments.

“Sometimes it’s just a loss of confidence,” Heidebrink adds. “People will start to restrict their driving to very familiar, close destinations, sort of low-speed, low-traffic situations, or good weather only.”

8. Depression. A new and sudden onset of depression later in life can be a warning sign of dementia, Dickson says. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, up to 40 percent of people with Alzheimer’s disease suffer from significant depression.

Depression may not just be a symptom of dementia but also a potential precursor. A 2023 study published in JAMA Neurology found that dementia risk more than doubled for adults previously diagnosed with depression. 

9. Confusion about time and place. If someone forgets where they are, or can’t remember how they got there, that’s a red flag. Another worrisome sign is disorientation about time — for example, routinely forgetting what day of the week it is, says Jason Karlawish, M.D., a neurologist and professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and codirector of the Penn Memory Center. 

10. Difficulty with visual or perceptual tasks. Tripping over something because you don’t recognize that it’s in the way, or not being able to make sense of the time on a clock could be warning signs of dementia, Heidebrink says. Difficulty with balance, trouble reading and problems judging distance or distinguishing color and contrast can also be early indicators, the Alzheimer’s Association says.

11. Financial missteps. Money problems may be one of the first noticeable signs of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, according to the NIA.

“There’s a lot of reasoning and memory that go into financial tasks, and so [money management errors] can certainly be an early way that people experience changes,” Heidebrink says.

According to the NIA, signs of money problems can include difficulties with the following:

• Counting change
• Paying for a purchase
• Calculating a tip
• Balancing a checkbook
• Understanding a bank statement

12. Changes in judgment. People with dementia may experience changes in judgment and decision making that can affect everything from their appearance to their financial wellbeing, the Alzheimer’s Association says.

A recent study led by researchers at the University of Southern California looked at brain images from 97 adults over the age of 50 and found that people who had brain changes associated with early stages of Alzheimer’s were more vulnerable to financial scams. While not a single, definitive indicator, “assessing financial vulnerability in older adults could help identify those who are in the early stages of mild cognitive impairment or dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease,” researcher Duke Han said in a news release.