Dementia is a blanket term to describe various symptoms arising from brain disorders. These symptoms affect memory, communication, social skills and thinking ability to an extent that it begins to hamper the day-to-day life of the patients. Dementia can occur due to various reasons. Some of the common causes of this debilitating disorder are Alzheimer’s disease, fronto-temporal dementia, vascular dementia, Parkinson’s disease, head injury and others. Dementia is a progressive disease. This means that the symptoms eventually get worse with time. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to early stages of dementia for timely diagnosis and treatment. Early Signs of Dementia- Memory loss alone is not a sign of dementia. Dementia is diagnosed only when a person experiences minimum two symptoms of the disease and in way that those symptoms affect the individual’s quality of life. Here is a list of symptoms that indicate early stages of dementia. • Short-term memory loss: Most people display trouble with memory during the early stages of dementia. For instance, a person with dementia might not remember events from an hour ago, what they had for dinner or where they keep their wallet. • Changes in mood: People with early stages of dementia can appear to be moody or depressed.

Dementia is not a disease by itself, but rather a collection of symptoms that hamper the functioning of the brain. There are many types of dementia including Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, Vascular dementia etc. Dementia can affect the way a person thinks, his memory and decision-making skills, which ultimately make him completely dependent on another person. Unfortunately, there is no known cure for dementia but treatment can help slow the progression of the disease and make daily life easier for the sufferer. In order to receive treatment, it is important to recognize the early signs and symptoms of dementia. Seven early signs of dementia include: Short term memory loss Everyone forgets things once in a while, but when it becomes a frequent occurrence, there is reason to worry. Signs of short term memory loss include forgetting where something is kept, why they went somewhere or what they were supposed to do while being able to remember details about events that happened long ago clearly. Mood swings Depression is one of the early signs of dementia. This may also be accompanied by personality shifts such as suddenly going from being an introvert to an outgoing person. These signs are usually not easy to recognize in one’s self.

Dementia does not refer to a specific disease but rather a group of conditions that impair brain functioning. This is usually a lifelong condition that gets aggravated with age. Sadly, there is not cure for dementia though treatment can help ease the symptoms and make day to day life more comfortable for the patient. Medication can also slow the progression of this syndrome. There are many different types of dementia. Alzheimer’s disease This is one of the most common forms of dementia. Memory loss and having trouble getting organised are classic signs of Alzheimer’s disease. With time, these symptoms can get worse. Apart from poor memory, patients might also lose their way in familiar places, get confused about what day it is, have problems speaking and show poor judgement. Vascular dementia This sort of dementia is usually preceded by a major stroke or a series of smaller strokes. The patient may not even realise that he has had a stroke. The symptoms of this condition depend on the part of the brain most affected by the stroke. Poor judgement and impaired decision-making are characteristic symptoms of vascular dementia. Other symptoms include memory loss, clumsiness, changes in personality, and trouble communicating with others.