How to Recognize Alzheimer’s Disease
Article by Dick Harkes
Diagnosing Alzheimer’s Disease is Delicate to Do
The signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease are exclusive on each patient. That makes it often delicate to diagnose Alzheimer’s Disease. Other conditions and diseases present sometimes the same signs and symptoms as in Alzheimer’s disease. That makes a proper diagnosis so delicate.
Alzheimer’s disease is distinguished into 4 stages. Mostly this 4-stage framework is used, while others may use a 5, 6 or 7-stage one.
The 4-stage framework consists of:
Pre-Dementia Stage;Mild Alzheimer’s Stage;Moderate Alzheimer’s StageSevere Alzheimer’s Stage.In stage 4 Alzheimer’s symptoms are most severe. The patient in that stage can not function independent anymore and must be helped with all basic activities like eating, washing, using the bath-room etc.
The 10 Most Significant Alzheimer’s Symptoms.
Striking symptoms that relatives and friends often notice are: forgetfulness, misplacing things, getting lost in familiar places,, confusion and trouble with language.
The list below details 10 warning signs according to the Alzheimer’s Association:
Loss of Memory The first striking symptom of Alzheimer’s is forgetfulness in a way it affects patients ability to function at home or at work, or to enjoy lifelong hobbies.Abstract Thinking Understanding numbers for example, what they are used for, how to use them and what real value they stand for.While they in the past did not have any problem with this it isn’t caused by low intelligence or a lack of basic math skills.Tasks as working out the equation of 2+3=… can be difficult to an Alzheimer’s sufferer, while others have problems using a phone book.Difficulty Performing Familiar Tasks A remote control for the TV-set or the audio equipment used to be familiar and at a sudden moment they have troubles in using it right. Using en new telephone set can also be of trouble. And even preparing a meal.Disorientation Everybody sometimes forgets the day of the week or what you’re going to do at a certain place. People with Alzheimer’s disease however can become lost in their own street. They forget where they are and how they got there, and don’t know how to get back home.Initiative and Drive are Lost A person with Alzheimer’s Disease can lose his or her drive and imitative resulting in him becoming extremely passive and non-committal. For example they can sit in front of the TV for hours watching the same channel.We often see them sleeping at unusual hours and more than usual. They become disinterested in everyday activities. These symptoms look like depression. So this symptom must be compared with the other ones listed in this article.Bad Judgment We all make bad decisions from time to time, some of us more often than others. With Alzheimer’s Disease sufferers however the impaired judgment is often obvious. An example is wearing winter clothing in the summer.Individuals with dementia often show poor judgment about money and are easy in telling others their pin code of their credit card.Language Problems If a person with Alzheimer’s disease is unable to find a toothbrush, for example, they may ask for “that thing for my mouth”. They lose simple words of daily life.In the first stage they have the cleverness to use alternative words or subscriptions. In the later stages they can use complete other words or tell you they don’t know the word they look for.Placing Items at Strange Places. Anyone has sometimes troubles in finding a wallet or key. A person with Alzheimer’s disease may put things in unusual places: the soap in the freezer or a book in the kitchen-cupboard between the pots and pans.Behavioral Problems and Mood Changes Alzheimer’s sufferers can show rapid and extreme mood or behavioral changes such as from happiness and calm to tears to anger for no obvious or apparent reason.Some patients can also become violent without any reason. This must not be mixed up with normal ups and downs of daily life.Personality Relatives of Alzheimer’s sufferers can experience changes in their loved-ones personality. These patients can become suspicious, fearful, confused, wary, paranoid, delusional and also aggressive. As they get older most people go through some personality changes, but a person with Alzheimer’s disease may have a severe personality change.Mutilation of the Senses
Besides the 10 symptoms above there is a change in a person’s ability to interpret what he or she can see, hear, taste, feel, or smell. Periodically evaluation of changes that may be correctable with glasses, dentures, hearing aids, or other devices is recommended.
Sight Their sense of perception and depth may be altered. These changes can cause safety concerns.Smell Alzheimer’s disease sufferers often show a loss of or decrease in smell. The person with Alzheimer’s disease may not smell smoke or may not associate it with danger. Therefore it is wise to install smoke detectors and check them frequently.Taste By losing their taste sensitivity and as their judgment declines, they also may place dangerous or inappropriate things in their mouths. Think of: toothpaste, perfume, lotions, shampoos, rubbing alcohol, and soap, which may look and smell like food to the person with Alzheimer’s.Tactile Sense Interpreting feelings of heat, cold, or discomfort can become problematic for people with Alzheimer’s. So the risks of injury increase considerable.Hearing People with Alzheimer’s disease may lose their ability to interpret accurately what they hear. This may result in confusion or overstimulation.
About the Author
Dick Harkes was confronted with Alzheimer’s Disease in the spring of 2010 when his father was diagnosed with this awful ailment. From that moment on he collected all kinds of information about Alzheimer’s Disease. In that way he developed himself an expertise on a variety of aspects on the disease.He likes to share this information with as many people as possible.If you want to learn more about this subject, please visit Alzheimer’s Diagnosis.
To get a survey on all collected information, you can start at his homepage: All About Alzheimer’s Disease.