How to Recognize the Symptoms of Alzheimers Disease


Alzheimers disease can be a difficult illness to recognize at first because the symptoms of Alzheimers come in stages, and can progress over a period of many years. Early symptoms of Alzheimers are not always as clear and the symptoms in the middle and later phases, which become the classic symptoms that you often hear about. For example, the inability to recognize family and friends or the potential for wandering away from home and becoming lost. It is good to have an idea of what the preliminary symptoms of Alzheimers disease look like as well, so that you can begin to prepare for the illness as early as possible.

Early Symptoms of Alzheimers Disease

The early symptoms of this illness can surface a number of years before the disease progresses to the next phase of symptoms. These first signs can include a shorter attention span and a difficulty completing tasks. Lapses in memory, poor judgement and subtle personality changes can all be early symptoms of Alzheimers disease. You may notice that a family member is beginning to forget names more frequently, or that words dont seem to come to them as easily in conversations. A patient in the early stages of Alzheimers may begin to put things in odd places, like his wallet in the dishwasher or socks in the refrigerator. Sometimes people who are beginning to show the signs of Alzheimers will appear more withdrawn, frustrated or angry than usual.

Symptoms of Alzheimers Disease in the Middle Stage

At this stage of Alzheimers disease, a person may begin to forget who family members are and get them confused with each other. The ability to follow written instructions fades, and even simple tasks like getting dressed can become confusing and difficult to complete. You may find that your family member will show symptoms of Alzheimers disease like confusion over the time of day or year. Urinary and fecal incontinence is also a sign of the mid-stages of this illness. This may become the time when an Alzheimers patient develops a tendency to wander and get lost, which becomes a huge safety issue for the family members who are caring for the person.

Late Stage Symptoms of Alzheimers Disease

At the end of Alzheimers disease, many patients will lose the ability to walk unassisted, and some will not even be able to sit up without help. Many will no longer be able to speak and will become completely incontinent. Because the act of swallowing can cause choking at this stage, many will stop eating at this point as well. Some will live with this disease for only a few years and others will survive for a decade or more. The average life span for someone with Alzheimers is usually around eight years from the time of diagnosis. For those caring for someone with the symptoms of Alzheimers disease, this can be a trying time indeed.

Alzheimers Signs

As well in regards to the Alzheimers disease and prevention matter, you want to socialize as much as possible, and this is actually one of the most important Alzheimers disease and prevention steps of all, because active involvement with your family and friends can lower your risk of dementia, and besides stimulating your brain, it lessens depression that can result from isolation.

Nevertheless, these people are still able to remember things from their childhood. In other words, the information is laid out with a question and an answer to it. Again, keeping a calm, smooth tone to the voice can help the patient better understand instructions and prevent them from getting flustered if they have trouble understanding or carrying out the instruction. Alzheimers disease and support groups come hand in hand, as without support the experience of dealing with the disease can be unbearable. When people ask What is Alzheimers? Although some Alzheimers nursing homes have been known to mistreat their patients due to the nature of their ailment, government agencies and watchdog groups keep an eye on their practices to insure all patients receive the best level of care possible.

One of the most important pieces of Alzheimers information is the fact that there is no cure.
Unfortunately, a lot of people do not stop to consider how Alzheimers disease end stage affects the caregiver. Some of these indictors include: unsteadiness when walking; incontinence of urine; poor test scores on mental acuity tests; rapid decline during the first year they are diagnosed; wandering behaviors; and preexisting conditions such as heart disease or diabetes. Lack of time is a big reason Internet support groups have blossomed so much, but the fact that you have anonymity is a relief to many finding it hard to deal with the disease. It can be helpful to write down how many times these types of behavior are occurring to get a real sense if there is a growing problem.

By doing this, you will want to watch for fraudulent websites, so use only those that you are confident in and you can trust.
Many of these tests focus on eliminating other possible causes of the patients symptoms rather than testing specifically for Alzheimers disease. This kind of support can seem impersonal but for someone who lives too far away from an in person support group can find this method to be helpful none the less. Websites that offer in depth information about the disease usually have a Q&A type of atmosphere.