MEMORY loss is first symptom of dementia that comes to mind for most people.

While things like losing your wallet or forgetting to pay bills, missing appointments or getting lost, are all signs of the disease, there are other, less well-known symptoms.

Dementia is likely to have an impact on the way people walk

Signs of the disease can also show up in the way someone moves, studies show.

A recent piece of research indicated that changes to someones pace when they walk could be an early indicator of dementia.

Meanwhile, another study found that a worsening sense of direction and taking wrong turns be a sign of the most common form of the disease, Alzheimer’s.

This isnt the first time scientists have suggested a change in walking habits, like pace, are an early indicator of dementia more broadly.

This is because walking requires lots of thinking Prof Gill Livingston, a psychiatrist at University College London, told Sun Health.

You dont just walk, you have to walk in space filled with things you need to avoid, in a certain direction all while keeping yourself balanced.

People who suffer from dementia, even in the early stages, cant accurately do all these things at once, she explained.

There are more than 900,000 people in the UK living with dementia.

And as people live for longer, that number is predicted to soar, as getting older is the biggest trigger for the memory-robbing disease.

Dementia is a general term for losing the ability to remember, think or make decisions to an extent that it interferes with a persons daily life.

Most people with the disease are diagnosed late because tests are complex and symptoms can be vague.

A late diagnosis means sufferers get less time to try possible treatments options and make important decisions about their future.

Alzheimer’s disease is responsible for around two thirds of dementia cases in the UK.

Here are four early signs of dementia that could show up as you walk.

1. Worse sense of direction

Everyone gets lost occasionally, its part of life especially if your phone runs out of battery.

But losing your sense of direction regularly could be a sign of the Alzheimer’s, especially in the early stages.

The study carried out by a team at UCL and published last year, discovered people with the disease “overestimated turns” and had a worse sense of direction when retracing their steps.

According to Prof Gill, this is not just because people with the condition lose their memory they also lose their perception of the world around them.

Is it ageing or dementia?

Dementia the most common form of which is Alzheimers comes on slowly over time.

As the disease progresses, symptoms can become more severe.

But at the beginning, the symptoms can be subtle or mistaken for normal memory issues related to ageing.

The US National Institute on Aging gives some examples of what is considered normal forgetfulness in old age, and dementia disease.

You can refer to these above.

For example, it is normal for an ageing person to forget which word to use from time-to-time, but difficulting having conversation would be more indicative of dementia.

Katie Puckering, Head of Alzheimer’s Research UK’s Information Services team, previously told The Sun: “We quite commonly as humans put our car keys somewhere out of the ordinary and it takes longer for us to find them.

“As you get older, it takes longer for you to recall, or you really have to think; What was I doing? Where was I? What distracted me? Was it that I had to let the dog out? And then you find the keys by the back door.

“That process of retrieving the information is just a bit slower in people as they age.

“In dementia, someone may not be able to recall that information and what they did when they came into the house.

“What may also happen is they might put it somewhere it really doesnt belong. For example, rather than putting the milk back in the fridge, they put the kettle in the fridge.”

She said: People with early-stage Alzheimer’s can struggle to understand objects properly so they see things as 3D when theyre not, or even 2D when actually 3D,

It means they see objects which arent there, which can force them to walk in a new direction while trying to avoid it.

Or it means they can fall over things they think are flat.

On top of that, they cant remember things theyve seen previously, so getting back to places can be hard.

2. Slower pace

We all have different walking speeds, some of us lagging behind more than others.

But walking progressively slower each year could be an early sign of dementia, Prof Gill told Sun Health.

As the cognitive ability declines thinking gets slower, she said.

And this means it takes sufferers longer to think about where they are going how to get round objects and coordination, which slows them down.

A large Australian study, which looked at the walking speeds of over 17,000 adults over age 65, found those whose pace fell by five per cent or more annually were most likely to develop dementia, compared to those whose walking speed didnt change.

3. Smaller strides

People who suffer from dementia are also more likely to have smaller strides when walking, studies have shown.

US research published in 2016, found smaller steps and wider gait where a person walks with their feet abnormally far apart were signs of a decline in memory.

But so far, experts dont know why these walking patterns are common among people with the disease.

The guess is that people with dementia are less confident about where theyre going and their ability to get there, Prof Gill explained.

So they take smaller steps, like someone would on a slippery surface.

4. A change in arm swing

How a person swings their arms while they walk could uncover a sign of dementia, experts have suggested.

Several studies have found moving the arms less while walking is an early warning sign of the condition.

According to Prof Gill this is because those with dementia struggle to keep balance while on the move.

To try and stay upright and maintain balance sufferers tend to use swing their arms more but keep their arms closer to their body.

Other signs and symptoms of dementia...

DEMENTIA affects a persons mental abilities

This can include:

increasing difficulties with tasks and activities that require concentration and planning depression changes in personality and mood periods of mental confusion difficulty finding the right words

Source: NHS