For those of you who have been following our blog, you may know that November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month! As you’ll recall from our last post, we are taking questions related to caregiving or Alzheimer’s Disease and doing our best to answer them for you!
This week, our question is:
“Sometimes I forget things or I have to write things down. I get worried that I may be showing signs of Alzheimer’s. What are the signs of Alzheimer’s Disease?”
Answer:
Great question. We all forget things from time to time or rely on making notes to help us keep track of things, but what is the difference between that and the symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease. In short, the difference is that the memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s Disease eventually begins to disrupt normal life. Though memory loss is the hallmark symptom of Alzheimer’s Disease, there are 10 warning signs that we see most often:
- Memory Loss that Disrupts Daily Life
- Challenges in Planning or Problem Solving
- Difficulty Completing Familiar Tasks at Home, Work or Leisure
- Confusion with Time or Place
- Trouble Understanding Visual Images and Spatial Relationships
- New Problems with Words in Peaking 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
Looking for more information on the warning signs, or how they compare to typical age-related changes? Get more information by CLICKING HERE to go to our website, or by copying and pasting the following URL: http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_10_signs_of_alzheimers.asp
If you have a question you’d like to see addressed on this blog, email it to Kara Johnson at kjohnson1@alz.org. If you would like to speak to a care consultant, please give us a call at 1-800-272-3900.
Georgia Chapter Blog 
I can relate to all these, My mother and her mother had this crazy stuff, I am almost sure I am in early stages. Getting terrified, and when I try to talk to my children about this they just think I am crazy, senile. and quit wanting to deal with me.
Glenda,
Please know that you are not alone in this – you can call us anytime at 1-800-272-3900 – ANYTIME – 24/7. We can walk you through the process of getting diagnosed and preparing for the future as much as possible. But hopefully, you won’t have this disease!