Identify Early Signs of Alzheimer's Disease for a More Effective Treatment

Dementia takes many forms, and one of its most progressive stages is Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's is a disease that grows gradually and severely affects memory, thinking skills, and cognitive functions. Signs of Alzheimer's disease often vary and might not be present in an individual in equal measure. The first signs of Alzheimer's disease are usually visible in the early 60s. But the damage to the brain starts as early as when the person is in their 30s. Since the signs of Alzheimer's disease are not noticeable at its symptomless period, one can only figure it out while the disease has progressed enough to make a sign. But once they start to appear, it is important to notice the signs of Alzheimer's disease so proper treatment can be off as soon as possible.

Detecting Signs of Alzheimer's Disease

Signs of Alzheimer's disease take many shapes or symptoms. However, as the problem is quite common with senior people, it can affect your planned activities for old parents at home. Hence, keeping an eye on them is important to figure out any signs of Alzheimer's disease.

• Loss of Memory

One of the first Alzheimer's disease symptoms is the loss of memory. When a person hits old age, it comes with many problems. One of these ailments is the weakening of memory or dementia. But in many cases, dementia is one of the early signs of Alzheimer's disease, which is a progressive stage of dementia. Hence, it is important that while checking the signs of Alzheimer's disease, you first lookout for any signs of dementia. Dementia is reflected in the daily activities of an old person. If he is forgetting something he learned recently or even forgetting the names of a person only to recall it later, it might be one of the early signs of Alzheimer's disease. A usual problem, in this case, is that patients showing signs of Alzheimer's disease also forget the essentials for a doctor's appointment or miss out on the appointment itself.

• Decreased Cognitive Skills
  

Alzheimer's makes a deep impact on our problem-solving skills. Older people who show other signs of Alzheimer's disease will also show symptoms like getting weak with numbers and confusion in memory. Whether calculating a simple sum or taking change from a grocery shop, they will find it harder than usual to do this math. Similarly, they might get confused between two different recipes while preparing food. Signs of Alzheimer's disease are apparent in a person's intellectual faculty, which gets slower over time. 

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• Misplacements of their Stuff

If you find your elders misplacing their stuff quite often, it might be one of the signs of Alzheimer's disease. Older people with Alzheimer's disease often put stuff in one place, thinking they will find it there but soon forget about it. While this might seem usual and many of us go through the same situation, it happens more frequently with older people. So do not take this symptom lightly, for it might be one of the signs of Alzheimer's disease.

• Confusion of the Present Time
  

One of the many signs of Alzheimer's disease is that the person having this disease gets confused about everything around. For example, he might be getting up from the bed to fetch a bottle of water but in the next instant might get confused as to why he got up in the first place. Similarly, a person showing signs of Alzheimer's disease might get confused about the time of the day, day of the week, the running month, and the current season.

• Vision Problems
  

One of the advanced signs of Alzheimer's disease is the vision and spatial problems older people face. This problem happens because people find it hard to measure distance ahead of them, face difficulty in identifying colors, and therefore are not fit to drive. Spatial confusion is also one of the signs of Alzheimer's disease. People facing spatial confusion might face balance issues while standing or walking. 

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• Problems in Communication

The signs of Alzheimer's disease are also visible in the act of communication. A person showing signs of Alzheimer's disease will not communicate freely with others. They might stop in the middle of the sentence or have difficulty remembering the word they were about to utter. Also, not being able to recall the topic is one of the signs of Alzheimer's disease.

• Treatment and Transportation

Now that we have seen some signs of Alzheimer's disease, it is clear that it would not be wise to leave older people to tend to themselves when they have this disease. We need to act on it as soon as the signs of Alzheimer's disease are noticeable and take the patient to a doctor. Although Alzheimer's disease cannot be treated, its growth can be slowed considerably. This way, adults will live a long and healthy life without showing progressive signs of Alzheimer's disease.

But since it is not safe for older people showing signs of Alzheimer's disease to drive, we should look for a handicapped transportation service near me. They will take the patient safely to the doctor and then get them back home safely. This way, you will focus on your work while your parents or grandparents showing signs of Alzheimer's disease can get safe transportation and treatment.