Learning and Identifying the Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease

As your senior begins to age, you may notice some cognitive decline. While this may seem worrisome to you, in most cases this slight mental decline is a normal part of the aging process. For instance, your elderly loved one may blank on your friend’s daughter’s name. They may have trouble recalling the name of a restaurant you went to last week. However, dementia care professionals recommend becoming aware of signs of Alzheimer’s disease and other more substantial issues.

Signs of Alzheimer’s disease

Though Alzheimer’s shows itself differently in different individuals, there are a few key signs that you should be on the lookout for. These include:

• Struggles to remember how to use everyday household products, such as the toaster
• Misplaces items that are used on a daily basis and then finds them in a strange location
• Forgets entire conversations, not just details of the discussion
• Struggles to follow a recipe
• Sleeps far more than normal
• Withdraws from favorite activities, instead preferring to sit at home in front of the television
• Fails to remember how they got to a familiar place and doesn’t remember how to get home
• Severe mood swings
• Dresses inappropriately for the weather
• Has problems keeping up with personal hygiene. May constantly look as if they need a shower or need to brush their teeth

It is important to understand that other medical conditions may actually mimic the signs of Alzheimer’s disease. For this reason, should your elderly loved one begin to display some of these symptoms, it is time to consult with a medical professional to get a better idea of the real cause. Some of the diseases that may show symptoms similar to Alzheimer’s include:

• Head injuries
• Brain tumors
• Stroke
• Epilepsy
• Parkinson’s disease
• Hypoglycemia
• Malnutrition
• Vitamin deficiencies
• Kidney failure
• Liver failure
• Meningitis
• Drug interactions or side effects from other medications
• Alcohol or drug abuse
• Depression
• Chronic stress
• Chronic sleep deprivation

Your senior’s medical professional can take a closer look at their physical and mental performance, thus offering proper analysis about the root cause of their symptoms.