Have you noticed a change in someone you love? The changes may seem small at first, but they will get worse over time.
You aren’t alone if you are seeing someone developing Alzheimer’s symptoms. 5.8 million Americans are living with the disease today.
It can be hard to distinguish Alzheimer’s with typical memory problems that come with old age. But there are signs of Alzheimer’s that you can be on the lookout for.
Below are nine symptoms that can point to dementia.
1. Trouble Solving Problems
Humans are problem solvers. We can take a complex problem, break it down into pieces, and come up with a solution.
For someone who has dementia, they may not be able to use reasoning skills to solve problems like this.
This lack of reasoning can cause problems when you need to do this in your daily life. You can have trouble figuring out bills, balancing a checkbook, or even creating plans for the week.
2. Memory Loss
Memory loss can occur with age, but this isn’t usually something to worry about. It’s mild and doesn’t affect your life in a meaningful way.
This problem gets worse when you begin suffering from memory loss because of Alzheimer’s disease. It starts with short term memory. You forget where you put things, forget names, and forget what you were doing a moment before.
As time goes on, this will get worse. You’ll find yourself forgetting people and things that happened in your past.
3. Vision Changes
Another sign of Alzheimer’s is declining vision. If you are having problems reading or judging colors, you may need to get checked out.
This problem can also cause people to have issues judging distances. When you can’t judge distance accurately, this can cause safety concerns if that person is still mobile and uses a car to get around.
If you can’t judge the distance of the cars around you, it can cause you to make bad decisions on the road.
4. Unable to Find the Right Words
Is your loved one having problems finding the right words when they are speaking? Having issues with language is another common symptom of dementia.
This problem can present itself in a few ways.
The first is the inability to recall the names of people and objects. They may know what the object or person is, but is unable to find the word for it.
The second comes during everyday conversation. You may find that your loved one occasionally stops in the middle of sentences.
This can lead to long pauses or repeated sentences while they try to find the words they need to continue speaking.
5. Decision-Making Problems
As dementia causes a problem with problem-solving, your loved one may also experience problems with making decisions.
When you have problems making decisions, it can have serious financial implications.
The elderly are common targets for scammers and telemarketers. If they have diminished decision-making ability, then it’s easier to swindle them out of their money.
You can also see less of a concern about self-care. Your loved one may stop eating right and taking care of personal hygiene.
6. Mood Changes
Everyone has ups and downs. But someone with Alzheimer’s disease can expect to see larger mood swings.
Depression isn’t uncommon during these mood swings. It can cause someone to feel isolated, sad, and unable to do anything.
40% to 50% of people with Alzheimer’s can expect to experience depression. It pays to learn how to deal with it now instead of learning later.
It’s important to notice when your loved one gets to this stage because depression can make the symptoms of Alzheimer’s worse.
7. Withdrawing From Social Situations
Mood changes can lead to other problems. One of these is withdrawing from other people.
Your loved one may not enjoy doing everything they used to. Withdrawal might cause someone to scale back on projects, not want to visit friends anymore, or not want to be involved with any get-togethers.
Instead of spending time with people, you might find them spending their days in front of the TV or sleeping. It might be hard to get them out to do anything.
8. Lost Sense of Direction
Have you ever had the experience where you find yourself in a location and not remember where and how you got there?
This phenomenon sometimes happens when we are driving on routes we drive regularly.
You lose track of time and end up at your destination without realizing how you got there.
Alzheimer’s disease amplifies this. You may see your loved one start wandering without knowing where they are going.
There is a higher risk of getting lost when you see these symptoms start happening.
9. Reduced Appetite
Keeping a balanced diet is a struggle for people who have dementia.
Forgetting to eat is one thing someone can experience, but there are other reasons someone can struggle eating enough.
Someone with Alzheimer’s may get hungry, but then get overwhelmed by the number of food choices they have. Overwhelm can lead to them eating the same thing over and over again, neglecting their nutrition.
Someone may also develop problems chewing and swallowing. This problem is common in the later stages of Alzheimer’s and can lead to a risk of choking since your reflexes and muscles don’t work correctly anymore.
Don’t Ignore These Signs of Alzheimer’s
While old age is known for declining health and bad memory, being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease is something that you can’t ignore.
Make sure you watch for these signs of Alzheimer’s in your loved ones so you can talk to a doctor to figure if they have the disease.
If your loved one has gotten an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, you don’t have to go through it alone. Our caregivers have been trained to handle people living with dementia.
Contact us today to learn how we can help.
Signs of Alzheimer’s
