Dementia, one of whose symptoms is memory loss, is quite a complex topic. In simple terms, dementia can be described as an ailment with a collection of symptoms that affect the mental well-being of people and quality of life. To shed some more light on the topic, here is what you need to know about dementia and how to identify the symptoms in order to prepare for the journey ahead.

1. Short Term Memory Loss
Simple tasks may become increasingly difficult to complete as short term memory loss kicks in. When people fall victim to dementia, the first symptom is short term memory loss. People may continue to remember something from years ago, but the events of the morning may be lost.

2. Speech Problems
Another symptom is being at a loss for words. People may experience great difficulty trying to find the right words, knowing what they want to say but the specific words may escape them.

3. Mood Swings
Dementia can cause an abrupt change in moods that becomes increasingly irregular the further the stages of dementia progress. At one moment, the person experiencing dementia may feel happy and the very next, may become noticeably irritable.

4. Apathy
Apathy, or listlessness, commonly occurs in early dementia and results in a loss of interest in hobbies or activities. As such, the person may not want to go out anymore or do anything fun. He or she may also lose interest in spending time with friends and family, and may seem emotionally flat.

5. Confusion
Someone in the early stages of dementia may often become confused. When memory, thinking, or judgment lapses, confusion may arise as the person may no longer be able to remember faces, find the right words, or interact with people normally.
Confusion can occur for a number of reasons and apply to different situations. For example, people with dementia may misplace important items, forget what comes next in the day, or have difficulty remembering someone they have met before.

6. Day-to-Day Struggles
Day-to-day tasks may become increasingly difficult to do. Activities as simple as tying shoelaces may become harder to complete independently as the stages of dementia progress.

7. Keeping Ahead
Conversations may become hard to follow for those suffering from the symptoms of dementia. Mental activities as simple as recognizing a single word or phrase will eventually become infuriatingly difficult and victims may struggle to keep up with casual conversations.

8. Direction Impairment
Unfortunately, those who suffer from dementia may also lose all sense of direction. Driving may become a thing of the past as finding one’s way home becomes quite a task.

9. Repetition
Due to short-term memory loss symptoms, dementia victims will often repeat what they have just said without remember that they just said it. This repetitiveness of thoughts or words is an early symptom of dementia, suggesting that the person should be monitored for additional symptoms.

10. Adaption Issues
Unfortunately, those with dementia will struggle to adapt to any sort of change in their environment as they feel less familiar with things they once knew. Changing things in a person’s surroundings, even as small as a table or a chair may unsettle a person suffering from dementia.
These ten symptoms may seem scary, but for cases in which dementia can be treated, mental clarity can be prolonged or restored.