Memory Digest

10 Warning Signs of Dementia: Checklist

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Tick any changes you have noticed in yourself or someone you love. Everyone forgets sometimes; these signs are different because they affect daily life.

• 1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life
  Forgetting recently learned information, important dates, or asking the same questions over and over.
• 2. Trouble planning or solving problems
  Difficulty following a familiar recipe, keeping track of bills, or working with numbers.
• 3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks
  Trouble driving to a familiar place, managing a budget, or remembering the rules of a favorite game.
• 4. Confusion with time or place
  Losing track of dates, seasons, or how they got somewhere.
• 5. Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships
  Problems with balance, reading, judging distance, or telling colors apart.
• 6. New problems with words in speaking or writing
  Stopping mid-conversation, repeating themselves, or calling things by the wrong name.
• 7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps
  Putting things in unusual places and sometimes accusing others of taking them.
• 8. Decreased or poor judgment
  Poor decisions with money, such as giving large amounts to telemarketers, or less attention to grooming.
• 9. Withdrawal from work or social activities
  Pulling back from hobbies, social activities, or conversations.
• 10. Changes in mood and personality
  Becoming confused, suspicious, depressed, fearful, or anxious, or easily upset when out of their comfort zone.

Alzheimer's Association 24/7 Helpline: 800-272-3900

Sources: Alzheimer's Association, "10 Early Signs and Symptoms of Alzheimer's" (alz.org/10signs); National Institute on Aging (nia.nih.gov).