Top 10 Signs of Onset of Alzheimer’s

With over 5 million Americans now living with Alzheimer’s disease, it is extremely important to understand the early onsets in order to catch it quickly before it turns into a harmful situation. As many as 16 million people are expected to have the disease by 2050, so an understanding of the onsets of the disease is crucial to protecting your loved ones from harmful situations.

10. Changes in Mood and Personality

This particularly concerns those who have extreme feelings of depression, anxiety, confusion, and fear. These mood or personality changes can occur anywhere from being with friends and family to being out in public or outside your comfort zone.

9. Poor Judgment

Another common sign that could indicate an early onset of Alzheimer’s or Dementia falls within decision-making situations. Many people with Alzheimer’s or Dementia begin making poor fiscal decisions or demonstrate poor grooming habits.

 8. Withdraw from Work or Social Activities

It is very common for a person who is starting to see signs of Alzheimer’s or Dementia to also start backing away from social activities and even beloved hobbies. It may be from memory loss or simply feeling uncomfortable due to mood changes that they have been experiencing.

7. Literacy and Speech Issues

Having trouble following or joining in on a conversation is common for those who are showing other early signs of Alzheimer’s disease and Dementia. It is not unusual for them to stop in mid-sentence or to struggle with simple vocabulary. It is also important to pay attention to signs of stuttering or constant repetition as they engage in conversation.

6. Losing the Ability to Retrace

It is common to see someone with Alzheimer’s or Dementia to misplace objects and not be able to find them. In addition, the locations of items that have a clear destination are in unusual places. Due to common mood changes, it may be common to see them accuse someone of stealing frequently overtime.

5. Trouble with Spatial Visualizations

For some people, having vision problems is a sign of Alzheimer’s. They may have difficulty reading, judging distance and determining color or contrast, which may cause problems with driving.

4. Difficulty in Completing Familiar Tasks

Whether it is at home, work, or at leisure, it is common for those with Alzheimer’s to find it extremely hard to finish something that they have started. This can be a scary feeling for them, particularly if it is a task they know they are or were very good at.

3. Problem Solving Inefficiency

Some people may experience changes in their ability to develop and follow a plan or work with numbers as well as have trouble following a familiar recipe or keeping track of monthly bills. It is also common for them to have difficulty concentrating, which results in taking much longer to do the things that they have done many times before.

2. Confusion with Time or Place

Losing track of days and dates is a common sign of Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. From forgetting the season to not recognizing the passing of a long period of time, these are crucial signals to look for. Some may also have trouble understanding something if it is not currently happening or may forget where they are and how they got there.

1. Wandering

The single most common sign of Alzheimer’s disease or Dementia is wandering. Due to memory loss and confusion, wandering can be extremely harmful to those with the disease. Often times the one affected is searching for something, escaping from something, or reliving a past experience, and they don’t realize where they are going or how they got there. Because their mind is somewhere else, they can be placing themself in situation where they may not know where they are and their family cannot find them. They can be in danger of walking into traffic or some other dangerous situation, such as drowning.

It is extremely important for them to be in a safe environment and have someone available to help avoid potential dangers. If you or a loved one is experiencing any symptoms from the list above it is important to consult with a doctor to avoid falling into a harmful situation.