Two red flag early dementia symptoms you could spot in loved ones at home

Research shows there are more than 944,000 people in the UK who have dementia. One in 11 people over the age of 65 have dementia in the UK, with a devastating impact on sufferers and their families, and there are two key symptoms to be aware of.

Dementia is not a specific disease but rather an umbrella term encompassing a range of conditions, the most common being Alzheimer's. Other prevalent subtypes include vascular dementia and Lewy body dementia.

While the illness is more commonly seen in those over 65, it can affect anyone at any age. As per NHS figures from the end of April, around one in every 15 people aged over 65 in England, or 703,098 individuals, were living with dementia.

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The well-known symptoms include memory loss and confusion, but there is another more subtle change that could be easy to spot in loved ones. As dementia progresses, individuals may become restless and start wandering around the house.

Another symptom could see them leaving the house and walking out at any time of the day or night. The number of people with dementia is increasing because people are living longer. It is estimated that by 2030, the number of people with dementia in the UK will be more than 1 million.

Be aware of the signs of dementia

Although dementia is not only about memory loss, that's one of the main signs.

Some of the other signs of dementia include:

• increasing difficulty with tasks and activities that require concentration and planning

• changes in personality and mood

• periods of mental confusion

• difficulty finding the right words or not being able to understand conversations as easily

In recent years, two new drugs have been announced which could signal 'the beginning of the end' for the disease, as initial trial results showed they slow dementia progression.

These are the first in a series of drugs undergoing trials that appear to interrupt the physical processes causing issues such as memory loss. In a heartening development for Alzheimer's disease treatment, Dr Richard Oakley, associate director at the Alzheimer's Society, has expressed enthusiasm about forthcoming medications. He stated: "After 20 years with no new Alzheimer's disease drugs in the UK, we now have two potential new drugs in 12 months. This could be the beginning of the end for Alzheimer's disease."

The maligned duo of proteins, tau and amyloid, are heavily associated with Alzheimer's patients' brains and have been under strong suspicion for causing catastrophic dementia symptoms for over thirty years.

Their precise interaction remains elusive; however, last year disclosed shining hope when a drug, lecanemab, was revealed to slow symptom progression by 27% due to its ability to block amyloid plaques formation. Hopes are high that upcoming drugs targeting both tau and amyloid could offer further deterrents to the merciless erosion of memory and cognitive function in Alzheimer's patients.

Furthermore, there is imminent advice cautioning that loss of smell might herald the onset of dementia. New research indicates that individuals with a certain Alzheimer's gene were significantly less likely to retain a strong sense of smell.

Particularly, carriers of the APOE e4 gene, which escalates the risk of this degenerative disease, were observed to exhibit diminishing olfactory abilities between the ages of 65 and 69.

Dr Matthew GoodSmith, from the University of Chicago, highlighted a new avenue in cognitive health research, revealing: "Testing a person's ability to detect odours may be a useful way to predict future problems with cognition. While more research is needed to confirm these findings and determine what level of smell loss would predict future risk, these results could be promising, especially in studies aiming to identify people at risk for dementia early in the disease. Identifying the mechanisms underlying these relationships will help us understand the role of smell in neurodegeneration."