The Alzheimer's Association New South Wales provides a checklist of common symptoms for dementia. To help you know the warning signs to look for, we have edited their list of symptoms to check. If you make several check marks, the individual with the symptoms should see a doctor for a complete examination.

• Memory loss that affects day-to-day function: It's normal to occasionally forget appointments or a friend's phone number and remember them later. A person with dementia may forget things more often or not remember them at all.
• Difficulty performing familiar tasks: People can get distracted from time to time and they may forget to serve part of the meal. A person with dementia may have trouble with all the steps involved in preparing a meal,or forget that they made it.
• Problems with language: Everyone has trouble finding the right words sometimes, but a person with dementia may forget simple words or substitute inappropriate words, making sentences difficult to understand.
• Confusion about time and place: It's normal to forget the day of the week - or your destination for a moment. A person with dementia may have difficulty finding their way to a familiar place, or feel confused about where they are.
• Problems with abstract thinking: Balancing a chequebook may be disconcerting when the task is more complicated than usual. Someone with dementia could forget completely what the numbers are and what needs to be done with them.
• Poor or decreased judgement: A person with dementia can become so immersed in an activity they can temporarily forget a child they are watching. They may also dress inappropriately, wearing several shirts or blouses.
• Misplacing things: Anyone can temporarily misplace a wallet or keys. A person with dementia may place things in an inappropriate place, i.e. an iron in the freezer or a wristwatch in the sugar bowl.
• Changes in mood or behaviour: Everyone becomes sad or moody from time to time. Someone with dementia can exhibit rapid mood swings - from calm to tears to anger - for no apparent reason.
• Changes in personality: People's personalities ordinarily change somewhat with age. A person with dementia can become suspicious or fearful or just flat, apathetic and uncommunicative
• Loss of initiative: It is normal to tire of housework, business activities or social obligations. The personwith dementia may become very passive and require cues prompting him or her to become involved, even in previously enjoyed activities.