Dementia is one of the most prevalent conditions faced by the elderly caused by specific brain cell damage. Various effects of dementia include a loss of memory, reduction in problem solving ability, analytical skills, and decision making capability. Few systems have been developed for the early detection of dementia. Existing systems depend largely on hardware e.g. sensors, gateways. Factors like maintainability and sustainability compromise the efficiency of such systems. This paper presents a novel approach towards the early detection of dementia and aims at eliminating some of the challenges posed by these systems. It also provides a comparati ve study of the cognitive abilities of healthy old-age people and those afflicted by dementia. © 2019 IEEE.