How to Spot the Signs of Alzheimer’s
Spotting the early signs of
Alzheimer’s can be hugely important in making treatment and care relieve
the stress of coping with this disease. Alzheimer’s disease is a
form of dementia, and a fatal brain disease that results in a progressive
decline in brain function. This affects memory and processing skills,
and can even eventually affect motor skills.
Here are the top ten signs
to look out for that may indicate Alzheimer’s:
1. Memory loss – this is
often observed as one of the first indicators of dementia. Especially
forgetting important names, dates or very recently acquired information.
2. Confusion – time can easily
get very confused for dementia sufferers, they can completely lose all
sense of the passage of time, and therefore not keep track of days, seasons
or even where and how they got somewhere.
3. Impaired processing skills
- the ability to focus on tasks, especially following a plan or numerical
tasks, may become difficult. Tasks can take much longer to complete
than they did previously.
4. Difficulty completing
familiar tasks – tasks and activities that were once very easy to perform
can become hard to complete.
5. Vision problems – the
processing of visual data changes in the brain and this can result in a
person with dementia struggling with images, judging distances, colors
and contrast. Perception can also change, and they may not ‘see’
things as they used to.
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6. Losing things – someone
with Alzheimer’s may forget where they put things, and even put things
in unusual places. Their loss of memory and confusion often mean
they cannot retrace their steps to be able to find things. People
with dementia can start to accuse others of stealing their things as they
misplace them.
7. Being at a loss for words
– as the brain deteriorates people with dementia may struggle with their
speech. They may lose their train of thought mid-sentence, and will
often repeat themselves. Vocabulary can start to pose problems, and
they may get words mixed up.
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8. Mood swings and personality
changes – a person with Alzheimer’s can be victim to severe mood and personality
changes. They can typically get confused, suspicious and afraid,
which can result in anxiety, frustration and depression. Their mood
can very quickly change when they feel out of their comfort zone.
| 9. Withdrawal – as a person
suffers from the onset of Alzheimer’s, they may start to remove themselves
from social activities, as they feel the burden of the disease take its
toll.
10. Poor decision-making
and judgment – typically a person with dementia will become less capable
of making rational judgments and their decision-making will become impaired.
Often Alzheimer’s sufferers may struggle to make sensible decisions with
money and are prone to those telemarketers and sales people that prey on
such victims. Even simple things such as managing personal grooming
can become impaired. |
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If you are caring for an elderly
person and you notice any of these signs, then it is wise to visit a physician
immediately for a consultation. Each case, and each individual is
unique, and will experience differing degrees of the symptoms of dementia.
So once those “senior moments” become more than just a random blip – it
is wise to take action.
Early diagnosis means that
a person can benefit from treatments that may help to alleviate the early
symptoms. It also means that the Alzheimer sufferer has the opportunity
to be involved in decisions regarding their disease and long-term care
before the disease progresses to a degenerative state. There are
many Alzheimer’s Support agencies that will help guide you, and the earlier
you know what you are dealing with, the easier it can be to gain an understanding
and make the right provision.
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