Be Alert for These Potential Signs of Alzheimer’s
Do you forget where you put your car keys occasionally or miss a scheduled appointment once in a while? Sometimes what feels like normal forgetfulness can be an indicator of something more serious.
If you start to experience more frequent episodes of forgetfulness, confusion or difficulty in completing familiar tasks, consider talking to your physician. Early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s helps patients determine an appropriate treatment plan, seek out resources and plan ahead.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offer these ten warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease.
- Memory loss that disrupts daily life: forgetting events, repeating yourself or relying on more aids to help you remember (like sticky notes or reminders).
- Challenges in planning or solving problems: having trouble paying bills or cooking recipes you have used for years.
- Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or at leisure: having problems with cooking, driving places, using a cell-phone or shopping.
- Confusion with time or place: having trouble understanding an event that is happening later or losing track of dates.
- Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relations: having more difficulty with balance or judging distance, tripping over things at home, or spilling or dropping things more often.
- New problems with words in speaking or writing: having trouble following or joining a conversation or struggling to find a word you are looking for (saying “that thing on your wrist that tells time” instead of “watch”).
- Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps: placing car keys in the washer or dryer or not being able to retrace steps to find something.
- Decreased or poor judgment: being a victim of a scam, not managing money well, paying less attention to hygiene or having trouble taking care of a pet.
- Withdrawal from work or social activities: not wanting to go to church or other activities as you usually do, not being able to follow football games or keep up with what’s happening.
- Changes in mood and personality: getting easily upset in common situations or being fearful or suspicious.
If you are concerned about one or more of these symptoms, please contact your care provider or Memorial Physician Services to set up an appointment with one of our primary care physicians.
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https://www.livewellmagazine.org/alzheimers-and-dementia-the-facts-to-know/