Getting lost is a frightening symptom Symptom
In medicine a symptom is what the patient complains of. For example, a a patient may have symptoms of pain and fatigue. for anyone, but it is especially frightening if it happens in an unfamiliar place. It is quite common that patients seek attention very early in the course of dementia if they have experienced getting lost. A common story is that a single episode is first blamed on the long trip, or the change in time zone, but then it happens again, and needs to be looked into.