It's normal to occasionally forget an appointment, a co-worker's name, or struggle to recall a friend's phone number—only to remember it later. However, for someone living with dementia, memory loss occurs more often and may include difficulty recalling recently learned information or events.

It’s normal for busy individuals to occasionally forget a step, like serving part of a meal, and then remembering it later. However, a person living with dementia may find it difficult to finish tasks they’ve done their entire lives, such as cooking a meal or playing a favorite game.

It’s common for anyone to occasionally struggle to find the right word in a conversation. However, a person living with dementia may forget familiar words or default to familiar words with increasing frequency. They may describe objects instead of naming then or even substitute words in ways that make their speech or writing difficult to understand.

It’s normal to occasionally lose track of the day or momentarily forget why you entered a room. However, for someone living with dementia, confusion with time and place can be much more severe and persistent. A person with dementia might forget where they are or how they got there. This disorientation can happen even in places they’ve known for years, such as their own neighborhood or home.

Anyone can temporarily misplace a wallet or keys. Occasional forgetfulness is normal, but if a person frequently loses items and can’t retrace their steps to find them, it might signal something more. 

It’s natural to occasionally feel unmotivated about chores, work, or social events, but most people eventually regain their enthusiasm. In contrast, a person living with dementia may become increasingly passive and disengaged, often needing reminders or encouragement to participate in activities.

Occasional mistakes, like mismanaging finances or forgetting a step in a recipe, are normal. However, individuals living with dementia may experience persistent difficulty with tasks that require organization or decision-making. This might include trouble following a familiar recipe, managing monthly bills, or concentrating on detailed tasks. 

Occasionally, people may make poor decisions, like delaying a doctor’s visit when feeling unwell. However, a person living with dementia may experience significant changes in judgment or decision-making, such as failing to recognize a serious medical issue, wearing inappropriate clothing, like heavy layers on a hot day, or forgetting to shower or brush their teeth or hair.

Sometimes people feel sad and moody, or experience changes in their behavior. But a person living with dementia may experience more severe changes. For example, they may quickly become tearful or upset for no obvious reason. They may be confused, fearful, suspicious and withdraw from others. They may act differently from what is normal for them.

A person with dementia may have problems with vision, depth perception and movement. They may have challenges with finding their way around their environment or placing items on a table. They may trip on steps or may even feel dizzy with sudden movement.