Alzheimer’s is a brain disease that causes a slow decline in memory, thinking and reasoning skills. Here is a list of 10 warning signs and symptoms to keep an eye out for.
- Memory Loss that Disrupts Daily Life
- One of the common signs is memory loss, especially forgetting recently learned information
- Others include: forgetting important dates or events; asking the same information over and over
- Challenges in Planning or Solving Problems
- May experience changes in their ability to develop and follow a plan or work with numbers
- May have trouble following a familiar recipe or keeping track of monthly bills
- Difficulty Completing Familiar Tasks at Home, at Work or at Leisure
- Find it hard to complete daily tasks such as driving to a familiar location, managing a budget at work or remembering the rules of a favorite game
- Confusion with Time or Place
- Can lose track of dates, seasons and the passage of time
- May have trouble understanding something if it is not happening immediately
- Trouble Understanding Visual Images and Spatial Relationships
- Vision Problems
- Difficulty reading, judging distance and determining color or contrast, which may cause problems with driving
- New Problems with Words in Speaking or Writing
- May have trouble following or joining conversation
- May stop in the middle of a conversation and have no idea how to continue
- Misplacing Things and Losing the Ability to Retrace Steps
- May put things in unusual places or lose things and be unable to go back over their steps to find them again
- May accuse others of stealing
- Decreased or Poor Judgment
- May experience changes in judgment or decision-making
- May pay less attention to grooming or keeping themselves clean
- Withdrawal From Work or Social Activities
- May start to remove themselves from hobbies, social activities, work projects or sports
- May have trouble keeping up with a favorite team or remembering how to complete a favorite holiday
- Changes in Mood and Personality
- Can become confused, suspicious, depressed, fearful or anxious
- May be easily upset at home, at work, with friends or in places where they are out of their comfort zone
Do keep in mind that every individual may experience one or more of these signs in different degrees and if you notice any of them, please see a doctor.
For more information on Alzheimer’s take a look at http://www.alz.org/