Alzheimer’s Early Warning Signs

June is Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month. Alzheimer’s is a brain disease that causes a slow decline in memory, thinking and reasoning skills. It is important to be able to recognize these 10 early warning signs and symptoms in you or your loved one. If you notice any of these signs and symptoms, don’t ignore them!

1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life- forgetting recently learned information, important dates/events, asking the same questions over and over, increasingly needing to rely on memory aides or family members for things they used to handle on their own.
2. Challenges in planning or solving problems- Changes in ability to develop and follow a plan or work with numbers, difficulty concentrating, taking longer to do things than they did before.
3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks- trouble driving to a familiar location, trouble organizing a grocery list or remembering the rules to a favorite game.
4. Confusion with time or place- losing track of dates, seasons, passages of time and may have trouble understanding something if it is not happening immediately.
5. Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships- difficulty with balance, trouble reading, problems judging distance or determining color or contrast.
6. New problems with words in speaking or writing- trouble following or joining a conversation, trouble with vocabulary or naming a familiar object and using the wrong name.
7. Misplacing things and lose the ability to retrace steps- putting things in unusual places, may lose things and be unable to go over their steps to find them, and may accuse others of stealing (especially as the disease progresses).
8. Decreased or poor judgement- may use poor judgement when dealing with money or pay less attention to grooming/keeping themselves clean.
9. Withdrawal from work or social activities- May withdrawal from hobbies, social activities, or other engagements. May have trouble keeping up with a favorite team or activity.
10. Changes in mood or personality- may become confused, suspicious, depressed, fearful, anxious. May be easily upset at home, with friends or when out of their comfort zones.

If you notice any of these early warnings in yourself or a loved one, don’t ignore the signs. Make an appointment with your doctor. If you’re having trouble getting to your doctor’s appointments, call Visiting Angels to arrange for a caregiver to help transport and accompany you to an appointment, or to simply help with personal care in the comfort of your own home.