Early Signs of Dementia Families Often Miss
You’ve probably noticed something feels a little off with a parent or grandparent lately — but you can’t quite put your finger on it. Maybe they repeated a story twice over dinner. Maybe they seemed confused driving home from a place they’ve visited for decades. You told yourself it was just “getting older.” But what if it wasn’t? The early signs of dementia rarely announce themselves loudly. They creep in quietly, disguised as stress, distraction, or simply aging. And for families across Indiana, missing those early signals can mean losing precious time to plan, connect, and get help. 📋 In This Article What Is Dementia, Really? Dementia is not a single disease — it’s an umbrella term covering a range of symptoms that affect memory, thinking, behavior, and the ability to perform everyday tasks. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form, accounting for 60–80% of cases, but other types include vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, and frontotemporal dementia. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s today — and that number is expected to nearly double by 2050. In Indiana alone, an estimated 110,000 people are living with Alzheimer’s dementia. Here’s the thing most people don’t realize: symptoms can begin 10–20 years before a formal diagnosis. That’s why knowing the early signs isn’t just helpful — it can be life-changing. 10 Early Signs Families Often Miss These aren’t the obvious signs you might expect. They’re the subtle ones — the ones that are easy to explain away or chalk up to a bad week. Pay attention to patterns over time, not isolated incidents. SIGN 01 Struggling to Follow a Familiar Recipe Your mom has made her famous pot roast every Thanksgiving for thirty years. Now she seems confused about the order of steps or forgets ingredients she always used. Difficulty planning and completing familiar multi-step tasks — cooking, paying bills, playing a favorite card game — is one of the earliest cognitive red flags. It’s different from just forgetting where the nutmeg is. SIGN 02 Repeating the Same Question Within Minutes Everyone forgets things. But asking the same question — “What time is the appointment?” — three times in a 20-minute window, especially with no memory of having already asked, is worth noting. This isn’t forgetfulness; it reflects difficulty forming new short-term memories, one of the hallmark early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. SIGN 03 Getting Lost on Routes They Know By Heart Spatial disorientation is often one of the first cognitive changes families notice — or almost notice. If your father gets confused driving to the grocery store he’s visited weekly for 20 years, or parks in completely wrong areas, it could signal changes in spatial reasoning and memory recall. This sign is particularly dangerous because it often goes unreported out of embarrassment. SIGN 04 Unusual Mood Changes or Personality Shifts A typically warm, patient person who has become increasingly anxious, suspicious, withdrawn, or irritable may be experiencing early dementia. The brain changes associated with dementia directly affect emotional regulation. Families often attribute this to depression or stress — and while those should also be evaluated, a personality shift without an obvious cause warrants a conversation with a doctor. SIGN 05 Difficulty Finding Common Words Watch for pausing mid-sentence, using vague placeholder words like “the thing” or “you know, that stuff,” or referring to objects by descriptions rather than names (“the thing you write with” instead of “pen”). This is called anomia, and while it can happen to anyone occasionally, frequent word-finding problems — especially with common, everyday words — can be an early indicator of cognitive decline. SIGN 06 Poor Judgment or Financial Mistakes Falling for phone scams, giving unusually large amounts of money to strangers, or making baffling financial decisions can signal impaired judgment — one of the less discussed but critical early signs of dementia. The National Council on Aging estimates that financial exploitation costs older Americans billions of dollars annually, with cognitive decline being a major contributing factor. SIGN 07 Withdrawing from Hobbies and Social Activities It’s easy to see withdrawal as introversion or just “slowing down.” But when someone who loved their book club, bowling league, or gardening group suddenly loses interest and avoids group settings, it’s worth asking why. Often, people in early stages of dementia pull back from activities they once loved because they’re aware something isn’t right — and social situations make it more obvious. The withdrawal is a coping mechanism, not a preference. SIGN 08 Trouble Managing Time or Dates Forgetting what day of the week it is occasionally? Normal. Frequently losing track of months, seasons, or years — or being confused about what time of day it is — is different. People in early dementia sometimes can’t understand something that isn’t happening right now, struggling to place themselves in time. They may think a past event is still upcoming, or be confused why it’s dark at 7pm in winter. SIGN 09 Misplacing Items in Strange Locations We all misplace things. But putting the television remote in the freezer, or finding glasses in the bathroom cabinet next to the shampoo — and having no recollection of doing it — is different from forgetting where you left your keys. People with early dementia often misplace items in illogical places and may accuse others of stealing when they can’t find something. SIGN 10 Changes in Hygiene or Home Upkeep A previously tidy person who suddenly stops cleaning their home, wearing clean clothes, or maintaining basic grooming may be struggling to sequence daily self-care tasks. Dementia can make it hard to remember to shower, or to initiate the steps involved. Because this sign can feel like a sensitive topic, families often avoid it — but it can be one of the clearest early indicators that something more than laziness is going on. 💡 Family TipKeep a simple log when you notice something concerning. Note the date, what happened, and whether it seemed out of character. A pattern documented over several weeks is far more useful to a doctor than a