The 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s is a brain disorder which is fatal and for which there is no cure. With as many as 5 million or more suffers, how do we recognize when our loved ones are showing signs of Alzheimer’s?

The Alzheimer’s Association has some very useful tips in detecting this disease by comparing Alzheimer’s behavior to typical age related changes in behavior.

And yes early detection is a good thing even though there is no cure because it allows the person and their family to make plans and to obtain support and counseling which is often necessary when living with this disease.

Let’s have a look at those 10 warning signs:

1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life as opposed to sometimes forgetting things, like appointments, but remembering them later.
2. Challenges in planning or solving problems as opposed to making occasional errors when say, balancing a checkbook.
3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or at play, as opposed to to occasionally needing help to use setting on electronic equipment.
4. Confusion with time or place, as opposed to getting confused about the day of the week but figuring it out later.
5. Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships as opposed to vision changes related to cataracts.
6. New problems with words whether speaking or writing, as opposed to sometimes having trouble finding the right word.
7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps as opposed to misplacing things from time to time (glasses and keys)
8. Decreased or poor judgment as apposed to making a bad decision every now and then.
9. Withdrawal from work or social activities as opposed to sometimes feeling weary of work or social obligations.
10. Changes in mood and personality as opposed to developing specific ways of doing things and becoming irritable when a routine is disrupted.

If you notice any of these signs, please see your doctor immediately. The Alzheimer’s Association’s website has loads of other helpful information about this disease. You can visit them here:  http://www.alz.org/index.asp

Source: Alzheimer’s Association