It’s important to detect Alzheimer’s early. Early detection allows you to get you or your loved one the treatment needed to slow the effects of Alzheimer’s and allow for longer independence. If you suspect you or your loved one has Alzheimer’s it’s important that you meet with a neurologist. Medication and Cognitive Stimulation Therapy are some treatment options that may help. Here are three early signs of Alzheimer’s to watch out for.
- Forgetting how to do familiar tasks
Alzheimer’s may cause someone to forget how to complete familiar tasks like tying their shoes or brushing their teeth. For example, someone with Alzheimer’s may pick up their shoe and stare at it in their hand unable to remember how to put it on their foot. - Misplacing things
It’s also common for someone with Alzheimer’s to frequently misplace things and be unable to retrace their steps. If you or your loved one suddenly starts misplacing everything it may be a sign of Alzheimer’s disease. - Confusion with time or place
If your loved one forgets your anniversary it might not be their fault. An early sign of Alzheimer’s is confusion with time or place. If your loved one gets lost in their own neighborhood or starts mixing days and times up more than usual he or she may have Alzheimer’s disease. - Restlessness
Alzheimer’s often makes it so that those affected can’t sit still and always have to be doing something. Restlessness at night is common. Often sufferers of Alzheimer’s get up a lot and won’t be able to sleep through the whole night. - Anxiety
Alzheimer’s can cause its sufferers to become fixated on events, people or things. For example if they have a doctors appointment, they will get anxious and keep asking you if it has been scheduled forgetting you told them a half-hour ago about the appointment time. - Attachment
Alzheimer’s sufferers often feel uncomfortable and unfamiliar with their surroundings and might become glued to your hip and have to be right next to you in order to be at ease. - Problem Solving
Those developing Alzheimer’s may have a hard time problem solving. For example, one of our clients wanted to make the bed and began making it but couldn’t figure out how to finish making the bed and instead of making it better kept making it worse and worse getting more and more frustrated by the minute. - Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships
Alzheimer’s can affect one’s understanding of distance and spatial relationships. For example, your loved one may suddenly be unable to figure out how to navigate stairs, inclines and declines. They may also become uncoordinated and trip over their own feet, even when there’s nothing in front of them. - New problems with words in speaking or writing
Not being able to read a clock is a common symptom of Alzheimer’s disease. You or your loved may also suddenly be unable to think of the right words to say and get frustrated by being unable to express yourself.
Memory Loss
Memory loss is often a symptom of Alzheimer’s disease.
Changes in mood and personality
Alzheimer’s often changes the personality of those afflicted by it.
Decreased or poor judgment
Decreased judgment is an early sign of Alzheimer’s. For example, if you tell your loved one it’s snowing outside and to get dressed for the snow, them coming out of the house dressed in a Hawaiian shirt would be a clue that there might be a problem.