Early Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease: When to See the Doctor

At Solterra Senior Living, you can expect high-quality care, no matter what type of care you or your loved one requires. However, we know that Alzheimer’s and dementia care require special expertise, including understanding the emotional and physical tolls on a body, and our nurses and staff are fully prepared and trained for it. Alzheimer’s is a brain disease that can be quite insidious since there is a slow decline in memory and reasoning skills, which may not be apparent at first. Sometimes, it’s not diagnosed until a decision has to be made about assisted living.

Since it’s a progressive disease, there are early signs and markers you can watch out for (it’s also good to know whether there’s a history of dementia or Alzheimer’s in your family). This can help prepare you or your loved one to make a plan before it becomes debilitating. Here are five beginning signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

1. Changes in Mood and Personality

Someone suffering the early symptoms of Alzheimer’s may become uncharacteristically suspicious, confused, anxious, or depressed. All of us experience a little anxiety when out of our comfort zones, but watch for your loved one being easily upset or confused when they’re at home, in a familiar spot, or with friends.

2. Challenges in Planning or Solving Problems

Maybe you’re going out for a shopping trip or a short string of errands. Difficulty planning these small daily tasks that were previously easy to do may indicate a decline in cognitive ability.

3. Misplacing Objects and Then Being Unable to Retrace Steps to Find Them

Think about where you might leave a pair of reading glasses or a cup of hot coffee. If you find these objects in—for instance—the fridge, and your loved one is unable to make the connection between where they were and where they had been going, it may be a sign of dementia. In some cases, they may accuse others of stealing these objects.

4. Losing Sense of Time or Place

We all have little slips every so often: “Can you believe it’s October already?” But someone living with Alzheimer’s may completely lose track of important dates and the passage of time, even of whole seasons. This is the disease blocking the brain from retaining recent information.

5. Memory Loss

One of the most common early signs of Alzheimer’s disease is forgetting newly learned information. Someone with Alzheimer’s may be able to describe perfectly an event or connections with people from early in their lives, but not remember what happened yesterday. They may also repeat questions or tell the same stories and rely on memory aids such as sticky notes more often for things they used to remember on their own.

Contact us today at Solterra Senior Living so that we can answer any questions you might have about assisted living or memory care. We look forward to hearing from you.