I saw many of these early signs everyone is mentioning but didn’t realize until more time passed. My husband has always been decisive and started having slower thought processes and less focus. Always a voracious reader then just stopped. Known for his lasagna, then overwhelmed following recipes or sequential tasks.

I saw this dementia “mask face” as they call it, episodically years before we knew my husband was having silent strokes. Now after 7 strokes, including 2 bilateral last week, he has the blunted flat affect, apathy, disengagement, and void look, like nobody’s home, much more first thing in the morning and then later now with some sundowning. He has Vascular Parkinsonism. Like others mentioned, had always been meticulous with self care and extremely neat, so leaving drawers, closets open and the toilet seat up were clear signs as his short-term memory has declined. Always a math wiz and suddenly couldn’t figure a tip. His morning shave and evening shower started taking twice as long, and with these 2 strokes, he can’t do self-care, remember how to use his phone, other tasks. Looks at light switches like he has some sense of an old habit then leaves it on. Now becomes glass eyed and anxious as the sun goes down, afraid of the dark, childlike. He was a 3rd degree black belt, instrument rated pilot, and computer wizard. So tragic to see this happening.