| Warning Signs
What are the warning signs for Alzheimer’s disease?
Since Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal part of aging, its signs cannot be explained by “old age” or the general forgetfulness one experiences from time to time.
Instead, Alzheimer’s disease increasingly interferes with a loved one’s normal day-to-day abilities and activities.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, the ten most common warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease are:
|
Sign |
Example |
1. |
Memory loss that affects job skills |
frequent forgetfulness, unexplained confusion |
2. |
Difficulty performing familiar tasks |
forgetting to serve a meal or that they prepared it at all |
3. |
Problems with language |
forgetting simple words or substituting inappropriate words so that sentences become difficult to understand |
4. |
Disorientation to time and place |
getting lost in familiar places or not knowing where they are or how to get home |
5. |
Poor or decreased judgment |
dressing inappropriately for the occasion or the season |
6. |
Problems with abstract thinking |
difficulty recognizing numbers or performing basic calculations |
7. |
Misplacing things |
placing objects in wrong places, such as putting keys in the freezer |
8. |
Changes in mood or behavior |
rapid mood swings for no reason |
9. |
Changes in personality |
changes in a person, such that a generally calm person becomes angry or suspicious |
10. |
Loss of initiative |
decreased interest or involvement with usual tasks |
In general, the signs of Alzheimer’s disease do not appear until years after the disease process has already started.
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