How to spot early indicators that your loved one may have Alzheimer’s or dementia
Published by: AARP
It’s not unusual to have occasional trouble finding the right word or remembering where you put things. But the persistent difficulty with memory, cognition, and ability to perform everyday tasks might be signs of something more serious.
Here are some symptoms to watch for:
1. Difficulty with everyday tasks. Everyone makes mistakes, but people with dementia may find it increasingly difficult to do things like keep track of monthly bills or follow a recipe while cooking, the Alzheimer’s Association says. They may also find it hard to concentrate on tasks, take much longer to do them, or have trouble finishing them.
2. Repetition. Asking a question over and over or telling the same story about a recent event multiple times are common indicators of mild or moderate Alzheimer’s, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
3. Communication problems. Observe if a loved one has trouble joining in conversations or following along with them, stops abruptly in the middle of a thought, or struggles to think of words or the name of objects.
4. Getting lost. People with dementia may have difficulty with visual and spatial abilities. That can manifest itself in problems like getting lost while driving, according to the Mayo Clinic.
5. Personality changes. A loved one who begins acting unusually anxious, confused, fearful, or suspicious, or who becomes upset easily and seems depressed is cause for concern.
6. Confusion about time and place. If someone forgets where they are or can’t remember how they got there, that’s a red flag. Another worrisome sign is disorientation about time — for example, routinely forgetting what day of the week it is, says Jason Karlawish, M.D., a neurologist and professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and co-director of the Penn Memory Center.
7. Misplacing things. Someone with dementia may put things in unusual places and may have difficulty retracing their steps to find misplaced items, the Alzheimer’s Association notes.
8. Troubling behavior. If your family member seems to have increasingly poor judgment when handling money or neglects grooming and cleanliness, pay attention.
9. Loss of interest, or apathy. Not feeling especially social from time to time is one thing, but a sudden and routine loss of interest in family, friends, work, and social events is a warning sign of dementia. A new study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease found that apathy may even be a sign that someone is progressing from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) — symptoms of memory loss or thinking problems that are not as severe as dementia — to Alzheimer’s disease. People with MCI are at an increased risk of developing dementia.
10. Forgetting old memories. Memory loss which becomes more persistent is often one of the first signs of dementia.