Dementia is a general term used to describe a group of symptoms associated with a cognitive disease (i.e., Alzheimer’s disease,Vascular dementia, Lewy Body dementia). The decline in mental ability significantly affects a patient’s life in the areas of memory, language, and reasoning. Diagnosis is made by a doctor after certain mental and physical tests are performed. Currently there’s no single way or test to identify dementia.

Early symptoms of dementia often involve problems with memory and mental confusion, poor impulse control, and sometimes speech and visual issues. A person with dementia may have problems doing certain tasks they’ve had no problem with in the past. To diagnose dementia two or more of the following symptoms must be present:

1. Memory loss
Memory problems in patients with dementia involves more than just a few instances of not being able to remember something. It happens repeatedly. Memory problems include not remembering scheduled appointments and losing track of possessions such as a wallet or keys.

The problem is usually with short-term memory.

2. Problem solving difficulties
When a problem crops up a person with dementia may not be able to figure out what to do about it. They also might not be able to follow directions because their ability to reason, even simply, has become affected.

3. Confusion about time and place
Confusion could be a sign of dementia. While anyone might get confused once in a while, someone with dementia has habitual problems in this area. An example might be driving on a trip made many times but not remembering the route anymore. Another example would be someone walking into a room and then not remembering what they were looking for.

4. Challenges understanding visual information
Someone with dementia might not be able to understand or interpret something they see. For example, they might have difficulty following the storyline and understanding what’s going on in a TV show.

5. Speech issues
Patients with dementia may have problems finding the right words to express what they want to say. This might be most notable in someone who has had good communication skills in the past, and it may be a great source of frustration.

6. Misplacing personal items
Problems with memory and confusion could result in often misplacing or losing track of personal items. A person may have set something down and be unable to remember where it is.

7. Poor judgment
A person with dementia may lose the ability to see a situation clearly. Their reasoning ability has been affected. This might result in such as dressing improperly for cold weather or the inability of being able to assess if a situation is safe.

The symptoms of dementia often worsen over time, but can differ according to what area of the brain has been affected. Risk factors for developing dementia include diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and heart disease.