First and foremost, this list of symptoms may indicate that someone suffers from dementia; however, you should consult a doctor for an official diagnosis before assuming anything or taking the necessary course of action to provide the care needed for someone with dementia. Early signs of dementia may be very subtle and not immediately obvious, but getting the care and help needed sooner than later can make all the difference.

• Increasing forgetfulness – things like names of people they know well or even just missing many appointments for lack of remembering them.
• Struggling with daily tasks – they make consistently become distracted and forget to complete all the steps involved with a given task.
• Disorientation – someone with dementia may have difficulty finding their way in a familiar place or believe they are in a previous time in their life.
• Communicating – everyone struggles with words sometimes; however, a person with dementia may forget simple words or substitute inappropriate words, making it difficult to understand what they are trying to say.
• Changes in abstract thinking – for example, managing finances can be difficult, but someone with dementia may struggle to know what the numbers mean and they affect their lives.
• Poor judgment –  for instance, they may not understand what to wear in the cold or fail to comprehend when they are getting too warm and need to go inside and regulate their body temperature.
• Poor spatial skills – struggling to judge distance or direction.
• Misplacing things – forgetting where you put your keys once in a while is one thing. Not know what the keys are for can be a sign of dementia.
• Mood, personality, or behavior changes – rapid mood swings without any apparent reason.  Some can become confused, withdrawn, or suspicious; others can become more outgoing or disinhibited.
• Loss of initiative – some may lose interest in activities that they have always been passionate about, or require cues to prompt them to become involved.