10 Early Signs of Dementia in Women: Symptoms Not to Ignore

Women account for nearly two-thirds of all dementia cases worldwide. And while the signs of dementia are often subtle in early stages, there needs to be more awareness of the symptoms.

The signs of dementia can be easily attributed to stress, ageing, or simply a busy life. In some cases, the early symptoms of dementia may present somewhat differently in women than in men.

This article outlines ten early signs of dementia that women and their families should be aware of. Understanding these signs is about knowing when to seek professional evaluation, which can make a meaningful difference in planning, support, and care.

What is dementia?

Dementia is a progressive condition that affects memory, thinking ability, behaviour, and daily functioning. It is not a single disease but rather a syndrome. Meaning, a group of symptoms caused by changes in the brain that worsen over time.

Importantly, dementia is not a normal or inevitable part of ageing. It is also important to note that not all forgetfulness means dementia.

While age is a major risk factor, cognitive decline significant enough to interfere with daily life is not something that everyone will experience.

Memory lapses are common at all ages and can have many reversible causes. Evaluation by a qualified healthcare professional is the only way to determine whether symptoms reflect dementia or something else entirely.

Causes of dementia

The most common underlying causes of dementia include:

• Alzheimer's disease: It is the most prevalent cause of dementia that involves plaques and tangles in the brain. It progressively impairs memory and cognition.
• Vascular dementia: It is caused by reduced blood flow to the brain. This can often be seen following a stroke or a series of small strokes.
• Lewy body dementia: It is associated with abnormal protein deposits that affect thinking, movement, and sleep.
• Frontotemporal dementia: It involves damage to the frontal and temporal lobes. This often affects personality and language before memory.
• Mixed dementia: A combination of two or more types of dementia, most often Alzheimer's and vascular Dementia occurring together.

10 early signs of dementia in women

The following are the 10 prominent signs of dementia in women.

1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life

Memory is one of the most complex functions of the human brain. It relies on a network of regions that must work in coordination. During the early signs of dementia, this network can become disrupted. As a result, a pattern of forgetting recently learned information can be observed. Something like forgetting appointments, conversations, or events.

Someone experiencing this type of memory loss may ask the same question multiple times within a short period of time. That, too, despite having no recollection of having already received the answer. Occasional forgetfulness, like misplacing a key after a long day or forgetting a colleague's name under stress, is common. They are not necessarily cause for concern.

When memory lapses become frequent, affect important responsibilities, or represent a noticeable change, a medical evaluation is worth pursuing.

2. Difficulty performing familiar tasks

Well-established neural pathways in the brain largely manage routine tasks. When these pathways are disrupted, activities that once required no conscious effort can become challenging.

These are also early signs of dementia in women. She might find herself unable to recall the steps of a recipe she has prepared for years. She may struggle to complete a crossword puzzle she previously enjoyed, or find that she can no longer confidently navigate a route she has driven hundreds of times.

These difficulties may be intermittent at first, which can make them easy to dismiss. When difficulty with familiar tasks becomes a pattern rather than an isolated incident, it warrants attention.

Tracking changes over time can help a physician understand whether this represents a meaningful decline from the person's usual level of function.

3. Confusion about time or place

The brain's ability to orient itself in time and space depends on systems that are affected during the early signs of dementia in women. When these systems are disrupted, a person may lose track of dates, seasons, or the passage of time.

They may also become confused about where they are or how they arrived there. This might appear as forgetting what month or year it is, becoming disoriented in a familiar neighbourhood, or losing track of how much time has passed. These episodes can be frightening for the person experiencing them.

It is normal to briefly forget what day of the week it is and then recall it with a moment's thought. Confusion about time or place that is persistent, that cannot be easily corrected, or that is accompanied by distress or disorientation is worth discussing with a healthcare provider.

4. Frequently misplacing things

Most people misplace belongings from time to time. What distinguishes a potential early sign of Dementia is not the act of misplacing items, but rather where the items end up and not being able to retrace steps to find them.

Changes in memory and spatial reasoning associated with early dementia can lead a person to place objects in locations that make no logical sense. Also, with no memory of having done so.

This can look like placing reading glasses in the freezer, or leaving a phone in the bathroom cabinet with no recollection of putting them there.

Occasionally misplacing something and easily finding it when you retrace your steps is a normal experience. Repeatedly placing items in unusual locations and being unable to find them is a pattern that merits professional evaluation.

5. Poor judgment or decision-making

Sound judgment relies on several cognitive functions working together. This includes the ability to assess risks, consider consequences, and weigh competing priorities.

These functions are supported by the prefrontal cortex and associated areas that can be affected and seen as the early signs of dementia.

When this occurs, a person's decision-making can shift in ways that seem out of character. A person who was previously careful with finances might begin making unusual purchases. This can also look like they might be paying less attention to personal hygiene than they previously did.

Everyone makes poor decisions at times. A prolonged change in the quality of someone’s decisions, particularly different from their established pattern, should prompt a conversation with their doctor.

6. Problems with planning or problem-solving

Planning and problem-solving are executive functions. Higher-order cognitive skills are managed primarily by the frontal lobes of the brain.

These abilities allow people to break tasks into steps, follow through on multi-stage plans, and adapt when something does not go as expected.

As early signs of dementia, one can be impaired in these functions even when other aspects of cognition remain relatively intact.

Completing a tax return, organising a family event, or troubleshooting a technical problem at home might feel overwhelming in ways that were not previously the case.

Difficulty with planning that is occasional and attributable to fatigue or distraction is generally not a concern. When these challenges become consistent and represent a change from someone's previous capabilities, a professional evaluation is appropriate.

7. Language and communication difficulties

Language is one of the most sophisticated functions of the human brain. Early disruptions to the language-processing areas, particularly Broca's and Wernicke's areas, can produce noticeable changes in speech and communication.

Someone showing early signs of dementia may find it increasingly difficult to locate the right words, follow a conversation, or express ideas that were once easy to articulate.

This might look like pausing frequently in the middle of sentences, substituting an incorrect word for the intended one, or referring to objects by their description rather than their name. Occasionally, a person may abandon a sentence mid-thought because the words seem inaccessible.

Word-finding difficulties are common and can be caused by fatigue, anxiety, or simply ageing. When they become frequent and affect the ability to communicate, they are worth raising with a healthcare professional.

8. Mood, personality, or behaviour changes

The brain regions affected by dementia usually govern memory and cognition, along with emotion and behaviour.

As these regions are impacted, personality changes and mood shifts in wants that are uncharacteristic for the individual occur.

Someone who was previously calm and sociable may become easily agitated or suspicious. They might display increased anxiety in familiar situations, become uncharacteristically tearful, or emotionally flat.

Mood and personality fluctuate in everyone, and life events can significantly influence emotional well-being. But when changes are persistent, unexplained, and accompanied by other cognitive changes, they should be discussed with a physician.

9. Loss of initiative or withdrawal

Motivation and social engagement are products of brain regions that regulate reward, emotion, and executive function. When these areas are affected by early dementia, a person may become noticeably less active and less interested in hobbies they previously enjoyed.

This is sometimes referred to clinically as apathy, and it is one of the more commonly overlooked early signs of dementia. Someone may lose interest in staying connected with friends and family, and may need significant prompting to engage in activities she previously initiated on her own.

Periods of reduced motivation are normal and can be triggered by stress, grief, or changes in health. When withdrawal is persistent, unexplained, and represents a substantial change, it is worth raising with a healthcare provider.

10. Difficulty understanding visual or spatial information

The brain's visual processing systems handle what you see, as well as how you interpret spatial relationships, depth, and movement. In some forms of dementia, like Lewy body dementia, these systems can be affected early on, leading to difficulties with visual-spatial tasks.

This might appear as difficulty judging distances, trouble reading, finding it difficult to determine contrast between objects, or becoming confused when looking at images or patterns.

Blurred vision or other changes in eyesight should first be assessed by an optometrist or ophthalmologist.

When visual-spatial difficulties persist after ruling out vision problems or when they are accompanied by other cognitive symptoms, a neurological evaluation is advisable.

Dementia vs. alzheimer's disease

Dementia is an umbrella term used to describe a set of symptoms that affect memory, thinking, and daily functioning. Alzheimer's disease, on the other hand, is a specific condition and the most common single cause of dementia. While some forms of dementia, such as those caused by vitamin deficiencies or thyroid problems, can be treated and even reversed, Alzheimer's is progressive and currently irreversible. Understanding the distinction is important for diagnosis, treatment planning, and patient care.

What is not dementia?

As discussed above, some degree of cognitive change is a normal part of ageing. It is common, for example, to take a little longer to recall a name or to occasionally forget where you placed something. These changes, when mild and not progressive, are considered within the normal range.

Several conditions can cause cognitive symptoms that resemble dementia, but may not be the signs of Dementia. Some of these signs are reversible when properly identified and treated.

These include stress and anxiety, which can significantly impair concentration and memory. Vitamin deficiencies (particularly B12), which can affect neurological function, and side effects of certain medications, including some sleep aids, antihistamines, and blood pressure drugs, can also give early signs of dementia.

This is one of the important reasons why professional evaluation matters. A thorough assessment can identify whether symptoms have a treatable underlying cause. If so, addressing that cause may resolve the cognitive symptoms entirely.

Conclusion

Recognising the early signs of dementia in women is crucial for timely medical support and better management of the condition. While experiencing one or two signs, such as forgetfulness or brain fog, may not necessarily indicate dementia, consistent or worsening symptoms warrant professional evaluation. Seeking medical advice at an early stage can help with accurate diagnosis, appropriate treatment, and access to support systems that can significantly improve the quality of life for both the individual and their loved ones.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. At what age does dementia start?

Dementia is most commonly diagnosed in adults over the age of 65. That said, early-onset Dementia can develop in people in their 40s or 50s, and in rare cases, even earlier. Dementia is not an inevitable part of ageing. Not everyone who lives into older adulthood will develop it.

2. How to diagnose dementia early?

Early signs of Dementia can be diagnosed with a comprehensive evaluation by a healthcare professional. This typically includes a review of medical history, standardised cognitive assessments, blood tests, and brain imaging.

3. Can you live a normal life with dementia?

In the early stages of Dementia, many people continue to live independently and maintain meaningful daily routines, relationships, and activities. Quality of life varies significantly depending on the type of Dementia, the rate of progression, and the support available.

4. Can dementia be treated if caught early?

There is currently no cure for most forms of Dementia. Early detection does offer meaningful advantages. Identifying Dementia in its early stages allows for timely access to medications that may slow symptom progression. For progressive forms of Dementia, early diagnosis does not stop the condition, but it does allow individuals and families more time to make informed decisions together.