What are the 5 warning signs of alzheimers disease

Stages of Alzheimer's disease

Generally, the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease are divided into 3 main stages.

Early symptoms

In the early stages, the main symptom of Alzheimer's disease is memory lapses.

For example, someone with early Alzheimer's disease may:

• forget about recent conversations or events
• misplace items
• forget the names of places and objects
• have trouble thinking of the right word
• ask questions repetitively
• show poor judgement or find it harder to make decisions
• become less flexible and more hesitant to try new things

There are often signs of mood changes, such as increasing anxiety or agitation, or periods of confusion.

Middle-stage symptoms

As Alzheimer's disease develops, memory problems will get worse.

Someone with the condition may find it increasingly difficult to remember the names of people they know and may struggle to recognise their family and friends.

Other symptoms may also develop, such as:

• increasing confusion and disorientation – for example, getting lost, or wandering and not knowing what time of day it is
• obsessive, repetitive or impulsive behaviour
• delusions (believing things that are untrue) or feeling paranoid and suspicious about carers or family members
• problems with speech or language (aphasia)
• disturbed sleep
• changes in mood, such as frequent mood swings, depression and feeling increasingly anxious, frustrated or agitated
• difficulty performing spatial tasks, such as judging distances
• seeing or hearing things that other people do not (hallucinations)

Some people also have some symptoms of vascular dementia.

By this stage, someone with Alzheimer's disease usually needs support to help them with everyday living.

For example, they may need help eating, washing, getting dressed and using the toilet.

Later symptoms

In the later stages of Alzheimer's disease, the symptoms become increasingly severe and can be distressing for the person with the condition, as well as their carers, friends and family.

Hallucinations and delusions may come and go over the course of the illness, but can get worse as the condition progresses.

Sometimes people with Alzheimer's disease can be violent, demanding and suspicious of those around them.

A number of other symptoms may also develop as Alzheimer's disease progresses, such as:

• difficulty eating and swallowing (dysphagia)
• difficulty changing position or moving around without assistance
• weight loss – sometimes severe
• unintentional passing of urine (urinary incontinence) or stools (bowel incontinence)
• gradual loss of speech
• significant problems with short- and long-term memory

In the severe stages of Alzheimer's disease, people may need full-time care and assistance with eating, moving and personal care.

Read more about how Alzheimer's disease is treated.

When to see a GP

If you're worried about your memory or think you may have dementia, it's a good idea to see a GP.

If you're worried about someone else's memory problems, encourage them to make an appointment and perhaps suggest that you go along with them.

Memory problems are not just caused by dementia – they can also be caused by depression, stress, medicines or other health problems.

A GP can carry out some simple checks to try to find out what the cause may be, and they can refer you to a specialist for more tests if necessary.

It is critical for people with dementia and their families to receive information, care, and support as early as possible. To help family members and health care professionals recognize warning signs of Alzheimer's disease, the Alzheimer's Association has developed this checklist of common symptoms.

1. Memory loss. One of the most common early signs of dementia is forgetting recently learned information. While it's normal to forget appointments, names, or telephone numbers, those with dementia will forget such things more often and not remember them later.
2. Difficulty performing familiar tasks. People with dementia often find it hard to complete everyday tasks that are so familiar we usually do not think about how to do them. A person with Alzheimer's may not know the steps for preparing a meal, using a household appliance, or participating in a lifelong hobby.
3. Problems with language. Everyone has trouble finding the right word sometimes, but a person with Alzheimer's disease often forgets simple words or substitutes unusual words, making his or her speech or writing hard to understand. If a person with Alzheimer's is unable to find his or her toothbrush, for example, the individual may ask for "that thing for my mouth."
4. Disorientation to time and place. It's normal to forget the day of the week or where you're going. But people with Alzheimer's disease can become lost on their own street, forget where they are and how they got there, and not know how to get back home.
5. Poor or decreased judgment. No one has perfect judgment all of the time. Those with Alzheimer's may dress without regard to the weather, wearing several shirts or blouses on a warm day or very little clothing in cold weather. Individuals with dementia often show poor judgment about money, giving away large amounts of money to telemarketers or paying for home repairs or products they don't need.
6. Problems with abstract thinking. Balancing a checkbook may be hard when the task is more complicated than usual. Someone with Alzheimer's disease could forget completely what the numbers are and what needs to be done with them.
7. Misplacing things. Anyone can temporarily misplace a wallet or key. A person with Alzheimer's disease may put things in unusual places: an iron in the freezer or a wristwatch in the sugar bowl.
8. Changes in mood or behavior. Everyone can become sad or moody from time to time. Someone with Alzheimer's disease can show rapid mood swings-from calm to tears to anger-for no apparent reason.
9. Changes in personality. People's personalities ordinarily change somewhat with age. But a person with Alzheimer's disease can change a lot, becoming extremely confused, suspicious, fearful, or dependent on a family member.
10. Loss of initiative. It's normal to tire of housework, business activities, or social obligations at times. The person with Alzheimer's disease may become very passive, sitting in front of the television for hours, sleeping more than usual, or not wanting to do usual activities.

If you recognize any warning signs in yourself or a loved one, consult a physician. Early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease or other disorders causing dementia is an important step in getting appropriate treatment, care, and support services.

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