Experts warn there are phrases to look out for that could mean someone has dementia
In its initial stage, dementia is a condition that is notoriously difficult to identify.
Apparently, however, there are a handful of largely-unknown terms and phrases that individuals worried about a family member can listen out for, which could indicate they're experiencing an early decline in brain function.
According to the World Health Organisation, there are over 55 million individuals around the world diagnosed with dementia right now - and even more alarmingly, this figure is said to be on the rise.
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This term is used to describe an irreversible decline in thinking and memory that affects an individual's daily life, caused by brain damage triggered from a collection of possible diseases.
There is currently no cure for dementia, but early detection of the condition's symptoms are absolutely vital to provide the patient with the support they'll need in the years going forward.
According to the NHS, different variations of dementia affect individuals differently.
Though, the most common signs of the condition are memory loss, a difficulty in concentrating, a struggle to carry out familiar daily tasks, confusion over times and places and mood swings.
As we say, however, another lesser-known impact dementia can have is upon the way a patient speaks.
According to experts from the Alzheimer's Association, several key words and phrases can be used as references for the condition, which are said to frequent conversations involving people with early-stage dementia.
"People living with Alzheimer's or other dementia may have trouble following or joining a conversation," the site explains.
"They may stop in the middle of a conversation and have no idea how to continue or they may repeat themselves.
"They may struggle with vocabulary, have trouble naming a familiar object or use the wrong name."
Experts explain that patients with early-stage dementia can sometimes describe items literally, as opposed to giving them their proper name - citing saying 'hand-clock' instead of 'watch' as an example.
Substituting words for others also falls under this category, an example being saying 'book' as a substitute for 'news paper', or saying 'that thing you sit on' instead of 'chair'.
They add that, the fact that struggling to find 'the right word' is a common sign of aging in general, make this symptom infamously tricky to identify as a dementia symptom.
The charity also emphasises that reverting back to childhood language is another dementia symptom under this category - as is being at a loss for words in general.
This symptom also goes the other way, with patients often struggling to understand terms and phrases being used by others, or being unable to form a response to questions asked of them.
Rhianna Benson