Major Alzheimer's Disease Warning Signs

Estimates place the number of individuals afflicted by Alzheimer's disease in the United States at 5.1 million. Women account for nearly two-thirds of all Alzheimer's disease patients in the United States. Although not specifically age-related, the likelihood of developing this condition rises significantly with advancing age.

Frequently, distinguishing Alzheimer's disease from other forms of dementia-causing conditions proves difficult, as the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease sometimes mimic those of other dementias. Today, experts rank Alzheimer's disease as the sixth leading cause of death. This health condition costs the United States health care system a staggering 226 billion dollars annually. Unfortunately, a cure does not currently exist for Alzheimer's disease, though considerable medical research continues in an effort to develop effective treatments.

Warning signs of Alzheimer's disease include the following:

Problem Solving Skills Decline

Yet another possible, but elusive, symptom of Alzheimer's disease relates to a gradual decline in problem-solving skills. This loss may impact both reasoning and logic as well as math abilities. For instance, an elderly man who excelled at mathematics previously may find himself unable to tally up monthly grocery bills accurately. A woman who always prepares a particular holiday dish may lose the ability to follow the recipe correctly.

Since numerous causes exist for these types of issues, Alzheimer's disease remains a potential diagnostic "rule-out". However, a loss of problem-solving skills, especially in an elderly individual, may warrant consulting a medical specialist trained in diagnosing dementia.

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Repeated Short-Term Memory Losses

One of the most widely recognized symptoms associated with Alzheimer's disease is repeated short-term memory failures. Patients with Alzheimer's disease frequently forget information they heard recently. Sometimes, relying extensively on reminder services or written calendar notes indicates a short term memory problem, but not always.

If a senior has been told information several times by others but forgets each time soon afterward, others should check to determine whether Alzheimer's disease has caused this problem. Since many causes of senior dementia produce memory loss, a trained medical specialist should diagnose a potential Alzheimer's disease patient. Sometimes strokes, concussions, or other medical issues impair short-term memory.

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Social Interaction Skills Decline

In some patients, Alzheimer's disease presents as a loss of polite social skills. This behavior change causes great concern to family members of these patients. A variety of medical causes potentially account for the problem.

For instance, an Alzheimer's disease patient during the middle of a conversation might suddenly forget a familiar person's name, or the word used to describe a well-known object. They may display obvious difficulties searching for the correct vocabulary term. In some cases, individuals with Alzheimer's disease become abrupt or even rude. They may terminate or begin a conversation at inappropriate times, and understanding their speech sometimes proves difficult.

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A Loss of Common Sense And Good Judgment

One of the most alarming signs of possible Alzheimer's disease relates to uncharacteristic losses of common sense and good judgment. Sometimes these issues offer the first clue to children an elderly parent has developed some form of dementia. For example, an individual with Alzheimer's disease may stop attending to personal hygiene. A homemaker with a well-kept house may fail to clean kitchen dishes or change clothes on a regular basis. An elderly individual who enjoys seasonal outdoor activities may try to engage in those recreational pursuits during inappropriate weather.

A series of poor decisions, especially in a senior who previously demonstrated sound judgment, prompts concern about the presence of Alzheimer's disease. The loss of judgment places some seniors at risk of harming themselves or others.

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Wandering And Location-Related Disconnects

Alzheimer's disease patients undergo changes in brain functioning that frequently cause a loss of the ability to identify familiar locations. For instance, an elderly man who likes to jog in the park may suddenly become disoriented and unable to find his way back home, despite having traveled over the same path hundreds of times previously.

An individual dealing with Alzheimer's disease may want to take a walk, but may lose the ability to use existing landmarks to re-trace the route. In other situations, an Alzheimer's disease patient may forget the way to familiar destinations. They may become lost going to the local grocery store or the neighborhood post office. Unexpected wandering at inappropriate times can sometimes occur in individuals with Alzheimer's disease. This is one reason why many long term nursing care facilities housing Alzheimer's disease patients sometimes maintain locked wards for residents.

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Losing A Sense Of The Present Moment

Individuals with Alzheimer's disease frequently focus a lot of time on past events. They may spend protracted periods of time discussing people and places they knew long ago. While healthy seniors enjoy reminiscing about the past too, Alzheimer's disease creates confusion.

A woman with Alzheimer's disease may mistake her daughter-in-law for her sister or her grammar school teacher. She may become upset suddenly and begin crying because she recalled an argument that occurred during high school many years ago. If a loved one confuses the past and the present frequently, consulting with a medical specialist remains a wise idea. Caring for a dementia patient becomes easier with an accurate diagnosis.

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Depression Or Apathy

Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease that progressively damages the brain. Memory loss is the most well-known symptom, but when the illness begins to affect emotions, it's common for patients to express depression or apathy. Rather than presenting as uncontrollable sadness, this symptom more commonly looks like withdrawal. A patient with Alzheimer's disease might lose interest in their usual hobbies, work projects, sports, social life, or other activities that are important to them. They might also forget how to execute the motions of their hobbies, like a knitter forgetting which stitches make a blanket. They may also forget to follow television shows, sports, events, and other schedule-based events.

Sometimes the social avoidance is related to a feeling of shame or guilt about the forgetfulness. Loss of interest in things that usually stimulate someone is a good cause for medical evaluation, especially if they're elderly. Older individuals may feel occasional weariness toward their social lives, work, and families, but they won't withdraw consistently and completely.

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Delusions

Alzheimer's disease makes it difficult for patients to interact rationally with the world. Their brains receive and interpret information incorrectly because of the neural degeneration. It's common for individuals with Alzheimer's disease to express suspicion toward those surrounding them, even when they are close family members. They might even accuse others of infidelity, theft, and other inappropriate behaviors. These are delusions.

A delusion is a form of psychosis wherein the patients firmly believe things that aren't true or real. Delusional episodes can sometimes be bewildering and hurtful to the person's loved ones, but it's important to note that they're far more upsetting for the patient themselves. Though their beliefs might seem ridiculous, they feel very real to the patient in the moment. Delusions can also be a sign of other mental or neurological illnesses. Sudden delusions or other psychotic symptoms should be evaluated by a medical professional as soon as possible.

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Extreme Mood Swings

Patients with Alzheimer's disease may experience extreme mood swings without any external triggers. Their loved ones may also notice they've begun exhibiting significant personality changes. During normal activities, a patient might suddenly become confused about their surroundings or the others with them. They may also be suspicious of others, withdrawn, frightened, or generally anxious. Some patients might lash out in anger over seemingly harmless things, or they might lash out when there's no trigger at all.

It's common for Alzheimer's disease patients to get upset more easily in common environments, but the upset is especially pronounced in unfamiliar places. As individuals get older, it's natural to develop specific habits and routines and to become irritated when they're disrupted. However, wild mood swings and personality changes that don't have external prompting are a sign of a neurochemical issue. They should be evaluated by a doctor.

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Shifts In Sleeping Habits

When an individual has Alzheimer's disease, it's common for their sleep schedule to change or for sleeping to become difficult. The sleep-wake mechanisms in the brain become affected as the disease progresses. Besides difficulty sleeping, the most common sleep schedule shifts are sudden daytime naps, drowsiness during the day, and wide-awake at night. Many individuals experience agitation and restlessness as the sun goes down. Some studies suggest late-stage Alzheimer's disease patients are awake for about forty percent of the night and asleep for a significant portion of the day. Extreme cases include a complete sleep cycle reversal, wherein the patient is awake during the night and sleeps for the entire day.

Sleep disturbances are often caused by underlying illnesses, Alzheimer's disease being just one of them. Other common causes of sleep issues are depression, restless leg syndrome, and sleep apnea. Because sudden sleep changes are a sign there's something different in the body, they act as a cause to get a medical examination. Non-drug treatments involve routine and diet changes to promote better, more consistent sleep hygiene. There are also several medications that can help.

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Eyesight Issues

In a small percentage of cases, Alzheimer's disease patients develop vision impairments that create problems for them in daily life. They may become unable to clearly distinguish one color from another, for instance, despite having possessed this ability in the past. Another common eyesight-related Alzheimer's disease symptom relates to the loss of the capacity to assess distances correctly.

An individual with this condition may attempt to arrange place settings on a dinner table, but misjudge distances and drop plates to the floor. Reading sometimes becomes considerably more difficult too. Driving skills also decline sharply. It remains very important to obtain well-qualified medical testing in this situation. Problems related to a deterioration in vision due to other causes easily mimic symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.