Spotting the Early Signs of Alzheimer’s in Your Loved One

While memory loss is usually the main symptom of Alzheimer’s, not everyone demonstrates memory loss as an early symptom. In fact, it’s easy to confuse the earliest symptoms with those of a different disease, or as any other normal, age-related change. It’s important to try to recognizeearlysigns of thisdisease because treatment is most effective when administered at an early stage.

So, what are some of the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s?

• Poor judgment – If your loved one usually shows good judgment, but they’ve started exhibiting poor judgment, it could be a warning sign. For instance, if you find them agreeing to everything telemarketers say, or buying everything after a telemarketing phone call, without pausing to think, you may need to find out what’s going on.
• Inability to solve a simple problem – While we all can make errors when balancing a check book, it shouldn’t be a daily problem. So, when a senior loved one is consistently unable to solve even the simplest of problems, it could be a possible warning sign. During the development process of Alzheimer’s, the abstract thought process can suffer damage.
• Persistent problem finding the right words – If each time they start a sentence, the person stops mid-sentence, don’t think they’re kidding. If it happens only once, don’t panic;look for patterns in behavior rather than a one-time occurrence.
• Trouble remembering the day of the week or season–Everyone gets confused about what day of the week it is, particularly after a vacation. However, if the problem is consistent for your senior loved one, you should be concerned.
• Trouble handling routine tasks - When a loved one starts losing track of something that they are well-familiar with, it could be another sign. Such things as forgetting how to check their email or turning on the microwave may indicate a problem.

If your loved one is exhibiting some of these early signs and you suspect that Alzheimer’s maybe the culprit,consult a professional to confirm or dismiss your fears.

About Author

The Cottages have been operating in Texas since 1997 and are family owned and operated by The Cottages Senior Living. The Cottages are state-of-the-art certified assisted living residences for people living with Alzheimer’s and other memory disorders.