Warning Signs of Alzheimers

Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s

1. Memory loss. Forgetting names, appointments, and recent information.
2. Difficulty performing familiar tasks, such as preparing a meal, using an appliance, or engaging in a hobby.
3. Problems with language. Trying to find the right word, for example, to express a common item such as a hairbrush or key.
4. Disorientation to time and place. Examples include not knowing the year, time of day, or how to return home.
5. Poor or decreased judgment as evidenced by giving large sums of money to solicitors, wearing inappropriate clothing for the weather (winter coat in summer).
6. Problems with abstract thinking, such as balancing a checkbook.
7. Misplacing things in unusual places. Examples may include placing a milk carton in the cupboard, a peanut butter jar under the kitchen sink among the cleaning supplies, or a spoon in the toaster.
8. Changes in mood or behavior.
9. Changes in personality. Noticeable changes including confusion, paranoia, fear.
10. Loss of initiative. Withdrawing from social events, sitting idle, watching television for hours at a time, excessive sleeping.

Experiencing these signs occasionally, could be due to stress, depression, mild-cognitive impairment, or other causes. If symptoms persist, talk with your doctor.

Material adapted with permission from the Alzheimer’s Association.

From: “Where’s my shoes?” My Father’s Walk through Alzheimer’s (2nd ed.)
by Brenda Avadian, MA
Founder, TheCaregiversVoice.com