The findings: A new study published by Professor John Gathergood at University of Nottingham's School of Economics found that subtle changes in everyday financial behavior can signal cognitive decline and financial vulnerability in older adults up to a decade before formal intervention (such as Power of Attorney registration).

The details: The research suggests early-stage dementia may lead to decreased engagement in self-care and out-of-home activities, replaced by an increase in home-based spending. These changes also indicated a rise in financial errors and susceptibility to fraud. 

Those experiencing cognitive decline also drastically reduced spending on travel and hobbies, logged into their banking accounts less frequently, and reported increased instances of fraud reports, lost cards, and PIN reset requests.