ALZHEIMER’S and DEMENTIA, the signs to watch for.
Blog | December 15, 2015
ALZHEIMER’S and DEMENTIA, the signs to watch for.
Characterized by memory loss and a cognitive decline that interferes with daily life, dementia progressively weakens a person’s thought processing ability, ultimately causing drastic changes in mood, behavior and memory.
Today, Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. Despite its prevalence, Alzheimer’s and related dementias are not a normal part of aging. Alzheimer’s causes irreversible changes to the brain that result in problems communicating, thinking, and taking care of basic needs. Symptoms vary as the disease affects each person differently, but individuals with Alzheimer’s inevitably advance through increasingly debilitating stages, requiring progressively more intense levels of care.
Knowing some of Alzheimer’s warning signs can help you identify when changes taking place in your loved one go beyond typical age-related changes and may signify the effects of brain disease. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, occasionally misplacing items, temporarily getting confused, or forgetting someone’s name but remembering it later are all typical age-related changes. Signs that point to Alzheimer’s may be similar but more severe, including:
◦Memory loss that disrupts daily life
◦Changes in planning or solving problems
◦Difficulty completing familiar tasks
◦Confusion with time or place
◦Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships
◦New problems with words in speaking or writing
◦Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps
◦Decreased or poor judgment
◦Withdrawal from work or social activities
◦Changes in mood and personality
If you observe one or more of these 10 warning signs of Alzheimer’s in your loved one, it is time to seek out a medical professional.
Blaine Bell, Owner – Belcare, dba Comfort Keepers serving The Georgian Triangle.
Contact: blainebell@comfortkeepers.ca or 705-293-5553 for free assessments of at-home care needs.
The material in this article is provided for informational purposes only, and is not meant as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, or legal, financial or any other professional ser
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