Early Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease
Continuing our Alzheimer’s awareness theme for January, we want to bring to attention the detection of early Alzheimer’s disease symptoms. The Alzheimer Society of Canada informs us of 10 warning signs, which if you notice in yourself or in a loved one you should not disregard. In this and our next blog, see our explanation and descriptions of the signs.
1. We all have moments of memory lapse, for example, you might forget where you put your keys or what you had for lunch yesterday, or embarrassingly your friend’s name! But, when memory loss affects your day-to-day life, where you constantly forget appointments on a daily basis, or the name of your wife or daughter, or the conversation you just had, then something more serious is going on.
2. Are you finding it difficult to do something you’ve always been able to do? Perhaps you don’t know how to make mashed potatoes anymore, or you don’t know what to do with your shirt or pants when you’re getting dressed. Alzheimer’s disease presents this type of difficulty.
3. When talking, we sometimes might not remember the exact word we want to use; we may even forget a word if we don’t use it in everyday conversation. However, an Alzheimer’ warning sign is when you forget very simple words that are used every day, or the meaning of simple words such as bread, jump, or dog. If you aren’t able to string a logical sentence, the brain is having more difficulty than it should.
4. Not knowing what time of day it is can be normal only if you’re able to logically understand the time when you look at a clock; however, if you can’t comprehend where you are and what time it is, this is out of the ordinary. Alzheimer’s disease creates such confusions as, not knowing you’re in your home or at work, suddenly not recognising the people around you, or looking outside at the dark and not recognizing that it’s nighttime.
5. We use logical thinking to make decisions every day, such as waiting at a red light and walking or driving only when it turns green for us, or not touching a hot pot that’s on the stove; if you aren’t able to make simple decisions like wearing a jacket in the cold or turning on a light when it gets dark, this seems typical of decreased or debilitated rational thinking, which is a problem that Alzheimer’s disease presents.
Look for our next blog, which continues our examination of the Society’s ten warning tips. If you or someone you know is experiencing these types of challenges above, please contact your healthcare provider, or contact us for help.
Embrace your loved ones!💕
Karen 🙂
Dementia Solutions
