Alzheimer's Reading Room
Early signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's disease are difficult to detect. Typically, early signs of Alzheimer's are missed because a person in an early stage of dementia can still do every day functions like driving a car or going to the supermarket for groceries.
Early Alzheimer's symptoms include slight memory loss, subtle changes in behavior, and confusion. Changes in behavior and confusion often alert families that something is wrong health wise. It is always a good idea to get the memory tested in any person over 65 years old that starts to evidence short term memory loss, moods swings, uncharacteristic behavior like meanness, or starts mentioning insecurities about normal behaviors like going out after dark.
As Alzheimer's progresses memory problems persist and worsen.
Symptoms Of Alzheimer's Disease
- Memory loss
- Changes in mood or behavior
- Changes in personality
- Loss of initiative
- Difficulty performing familiar tasks
- Problems with language
- Disorientation to time and place
- Poor or decreased judgment
- Problems with abstract thinking
- Changes in gait or walking
- Misplacing things
People with Alzheimer's often:
One early sign of Alzheimer's is the inability to balance a checkbook or properly manage finances. Eventually this worsens until a person has trouble recognizing and dealing with numbers.
- Repeat themselves
- Forget conversations
- Routinely misplace things, often putting them in illogical locations
- Have problems with abstract thinking
- Are unable to maintain a schedule or keep appointments
- Eventually forget the names of family members and everyday objects
Disorientation is another early sign of Alzheimer's. The inability to drive to and locate familiar places. The inability to find the bathroom in the home of a close friend or relative.
Persons's suffering from Alzheimer's disease often lose their sense of time, days, dates, and years.
They can find themselves lost in familiar surroundings.
Hoarding can be an early sign of Alzheimer's. Continually buying items like toilet paper, tooth paste, shampoo, or salad dressing can be a sign of mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's or dementia.
Personality changes can be an early sign of Alzheimer's. Constant worries about money. Accusing others of stealing or people talking about them behind their back are examples.
Behaviors include:
are all signs of Alzheimer's disease.
- Mood swings
- Distrust in others
- Increased stubbornness
- Social withdrawal
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Aggressiveness
For a more comprehensive description of Alzheimer's disease including: symptoms, causes, treatments, drugs, testing and diagnosis go here.
Also see
Test Your Memory for Alzheimer's (5 Best Self Assessment Tests)
- 60 Good Reasons to Subscribe to the Alzheimer's Reading Room
- Alzheimer's CareGiving -- Insight and Advice
- Test Your Memory for Alzheimer's (5 Best Self Assessment Tests)
- Communicating in Alzheimer's World
- Worried About Alzheimer's Disease -- You Should Be
- What is Alzheimer's? What are the Eight Types of Dementia?
- Does the Combination of Aricept and Namenda Help Slow the Rate of Decline in Alzheimer's Patients
- Alzheimer's Disease Statistics
- Is it Really Alzheimer's or Something Else?
- Ten Symptoms of Early Stage Alzheimer's
- Ten Tips for Communicating with an Alzheimer’s Patient
 The Alzheimer's Action Plan |  300 Tips for Making Life Easier |
Bob DeMarco is the editor of the Alzheimer's Reading Room and an Alzheimer's caregiver. Bob has written more than 1,690 articles with more than 70,000 links on the Internet. Bob resides in Delray Beach, FL.
Original content Bob DeMarco, the Alzheimer's Reading Room
