8 A guide to understanding dementia How can I tell if someone has dementia? Each person is unique and will experience dementia in their own way. The different types of dementia also tend to affect people differently, especially in the early stages. Other factors that will affect how well someone can live with dementia include how other people respond to them and the environment around them. They will often have problems with some of the following: • day-to-day memory – for example, difficulty recalling events or conversations that happened recently • concentrating, planning or organising – for example, difficulties making decisions, solving problems or carrying out a sequence of tasks (such as cooking a meal) • language – for example, difficulties following a conversation or finding the right word for something • visuospatial skills – for example, problems judging distances (such as on stairs) and seeing objects in three dimensions • orientation – for example, losing track of the day or date, or becoming confused about where they are.