What You Should Know About The Symptoms Of Alzheimers


There are a lot of people who think that the only symptom of Alzheimers is forgetting. However, there are also a lot of other symptoms that you need to know about as well. For instance, did you know that this disease robs a person of their ability to think clearly by slowly destroying their brain cells? This is why Alzheimers symptoms oftentimes show up gradually. They progress from simple memory loss to total dependence upon a caregiver.

Memory Loss In Alzheimers

Alzheimers symptoms oftentimes disguise themselves as memory lapse or mild irritability. Sometimes family members may simply dismiss these symptoms as a sign of getting older. However, these really can be warning signs that show that a person has Alzheimers. This is especially true if you tell someone something that they forget in as little as 20 minutes later. As you can see, these people really do have a difficult time planning and doing their daily activities. Nevertheless, these people are still able to remember things from their childhood.

Other Alzheimers Symptoms

Alzheimers disease is characterized by other symptoms besides just memory loss. For instance, someone with Alzheimers will not completed their normal daily activities. A grandmother who use to prepare large Sunday dinners will now have difficulty just making a sandwich.

Patients will find it difficult to tell their loved ones about the problems that they are having. While you may think that this is just a simple fear, it is actually a symptom of Alzheimers. These people are not afraid, they simply cannot find the right words to use.

Alzheimers patients will also lose their sense of time and place. It is even possible that they cannot find their way home from shopping. They may also lack good judgment and thus dress for winter in the middle of the summer.

Patients may also lose track of their money or begin giving away large sums of money, which they would have never done in the past. However, now simple math problems are much too complex for them to do. They may even forget where they put their checkbook and other important items.

There are also personality changes that accompany Alzheimers. Mood swings are quite common. Patients who use to be quite independent will start to cling to their relatives. They will also be anxious, scared and confused. Oftentimes the desire to leave home will diminish and the person will begin to sleep a lot.

Of course, these symptoms will vary from person to person. However, if you think that your loved one has Alzheimers, then you should try to talk to this person's doctor and get them help.

Alzheimers Cause

This is because the patient's behavior will have declined so greatly.

Even though you may think that they do notice you there, especially as the disease worsens, deep down they do, and this is all you can really do with such a horrible disease such as Alzheimers. While certain known indicators found in brain scans show the disease may be present, a final determination is not made until post-mortem autopsy. Alzheimers disease has received a lot of attention over the last decade; much of this attention has been directed toward the existence of the Alzheimers Gene.

Keep in mind that even the most basic of tasks will take much longer to finish than they used to, so allow yourself plenty of time to care for your Alzheimers patient to save both of you from frustration.
Other treatments may come in the form of medications. This is because these are the people who are going to have to care for and support the patient. 1 million Americans have Alzheimers disease. A CT or CAT scan (Computed Tomography) takes multiple pictures of a persons body from different angles very quickly. If something seems too good to be true, in most cases it is.

Caring for someone with Alzheimers disease is not a simple task and each day can be filled with new challenges as the persons abilities change.
The cognitive process may be damaged to the point they do not recognize even those people closest to them. Some treatments are relatively simple such as increasing the amount of time you walk per day. They also actually had a hand in creating World Alzheimers Day, which is celebrated on September 21 of each year, and which first began in the year 1994. According to Sparks, patients showed marked improvement after having had Lipitor Alzheimers treatment for six months than they were prior to taking such medication. When initially diagnosed with Alzheimers, tests are given to find a base line of the patients ability to which future assessments can be compared. Scientists are trying to discover how this disease works, and treatments that can be used to counter the progressive nature of the disease.