Problems with the telephone can be one of the first signs to a family that something is really wrong with the person that they care for. Not calling, being unable to take a telephone message, refusing to answer, hanging up part way through a conversation, dialing only a few well known numbers, not being able to look up new numbers in the telephone book, misdialing, calling at inappropriate times are each important errors, especially if several are seen together. (Parents of teenagers might also recognize things on this list from how their children use the telephone, but the hope is that they will grow out of it.) Sometimes there will be an easy explanation - for example, many of these errors will be seen in someone who is gradually becoming hard of hearing. Still, events like this, especially occurring when a person is showing signs of memory Memory
The ability to process information that requires attention, storage, and retrieval. problems, make it very likely that a doctor can help sort out whether dementia is present.