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10 Early Signs and Symptoms of Alzheimer’s

10 Common Early Signs and Symptoms of Alzheimer’s

It isn’t easy to tell whether early signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s are due to aging or Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Because of that, Alzheimer’s generally goes undiagnosed for many years.

It is true, most of us would not want to know that we had Alzheimer’s since there is no cure. So many think, “what’s the hurry to know if you have the symptoms of Alzheimer’s or Dementia?”

Though there is no cure for Alzheimers, there are drugs to slow or postpone the progress and symptoms. This means a patient diagnosed earlier, could live longer with fewer symptoms if given medication at an early stage of his disease.

Plus, new research is ongoing and there may be even newer findings and cures in the near future. So it’s beneficial to know the earliest signs and symptoms of Dementia and Alzheimer so that you can be diagnosed and treated for these symptoms while medication can make a difference. So far, later in the disease the same medications tend to offer little results in behavior or symptoms.

Not all patients have the exact same symptoms, but generally, each person will have many of the below behaviors to some degree.

1. Many people in the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s lose their ability to smell. In one study, they found that even those with the mildest cognitive impairment could not identify certain smells; strawberry, smoke, soap, menthol, clove, pineapple, natural gas, lilac, lemon, and leather.

2. Misplacing things in odd places. Many of us do this on occasion, but in the early stage of Alzheimer’s it will become a common practice to store things in odd places. Toilet paper behind the sofa. A wallet in the refrigerator, or a shoe in the freezer.

3. Repeating the same phrase or story over and over without realizing they’ve already told the same thing many many times.

4. Change in Personality. The extrovert may become more recluse, quiet and preferring to be alone. The introvert may become more boisterous and loud, often offending without realization. As early stages of Alzheimer’s progress, inhibitions are lost, causing behavior to change. They may become more offensive, embarrassing, sexual, antisocial. Sometimes, personality traits that they already have–become distorted; the suspicious person becomes paranoid, the thrifty person becomes a hoarder, etc.

Mom did not become a hoarder, but her youth was spent during the depression and her penchant to be thrifty escalated as she lost inhibitions. She would never throw away a plastic container when it was empty, but would wash and store it instead. At the grocery store it wasn’t unusual to spend an hour in the soda pop aisle. Mom would move back and forth in that aisle as though stalking prey. Making a choice was excruciating for her. She knew which Soda she wanted, but the fullness of the bottles kept her struggling for a choice. Mom had to have the fullest bottle.

We’re talking a 15 minute decision to pick up one bottle of pop. She measured the fullness level of each. And she wanted the fullest one on the shelf. A level which could be measured in millimeters on a row of 50 bottles.

5. They lose initiative. Most people are happy to do the things they enjoy; gardening, shopping, jogging, etc. When we do things that we enjoy, it’s invigorating. We make time to celebrate our favorite pastimes. The early Alzheimer’s patient may choose to sit in front of a television for hours instead, giving-up all hobbies and activities that they enjoyed in the past.

My Mom had a special, covered-porch built so her plants could survive the hot Desert sun. It was a lush green canopy of beauty. One of the first disturbing things that I noticed, several years before her diagnosis, was this little slice of paradise began to wilt away. A giant Grapefruit tree produced grapefruit as tiny as oranges. When I asked her about the watering conditions, she brushed off the question as though the garden was no longer important to her. I was surprised, but accepted her explanation. Looking back, I should have known better. My mom had a lifetime love affair with gardening.

6. Taking longer to do routine chores. And becoming overly upset if something unpredicted occurs. This reminds me of when Mom received the notice for Jury duty in the mail. She phoned me in full-blown hysteria, certain that they were coming to arrest her that day. That’s another Post, if you’d like to read it <–Here–>

7. They can forget to eat or eat all the time. Each sufferer seems to have a different issue with eating. My Mom would forget to eat. Before she was diagnosed, we spent many days in the hospital with Mom’s severe stomach cramps. Fortunately, one alert doctor finally noticed that Mom’s angry stomach quieted-down shortly after the IV was inserted on each visit.

8. Most people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s begin to neglect hygiene and need encouragement to change their clothes. They have begun to forget how long they’ve worn their clothes, and to identify which clothes are their own. They don’t know when they bathed last, and how to adjust the water to take a shower or bath.

9. Inability to concentrate. In the early stages of Alzheimer’s many people begin to lose their ability to concentrate on one thing at a time. This means they find it difficult to carry on a long conversation with full understanding. They may become confused when many people are talking at once. Trying to concentrate on a newspaper article or television newscast with both a shortened attention and memory span is near impossible. They simply aren’t able to put all the facts together and come to an accurate conclusion.

10. Easily confused about Day/Time and where they are. Even early stage Alzheimer’s patients can become confused about day and time and where they are. They can get lost even when they are in their own neighborhood. They often forget the day of the week or the month of the year.

If you have a loved one, family member or dear friend who shows several or more of these signs or symptoms, stay aware of their circumstances, encourage them to see a physician. Don’t forget that early diagnosis can postpone the symptoms and prolong life.

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Don’t let Someone with Alzheimer’s dementia Con You

08/046 Comments

Don’t let Someone with Alzheimer’s dementia Con You

One of the sadder consequence of the failing memory of those with Alzheimer’s Dementia is that by middle-stage they are so deep in denial about their own situation that they can easily convince others that all is fine with their health.

They learn to compensate for a failing memory long before a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or Dementia has been made. My mom was totally deaf by the time I made an appointment to have her hearing checked. But she had reassured me for years that her current hearing aid worked just fine. She rarely asked me to repeat a sentence and could carry on an active conversation fairly well.

Over a long period of time she had learned to lip-read and became so good at it that no one would guess she couldn’t hear at all. She was still driving into Middle Stage Alzheimer’s, and clearly a danger to others as well as herself. I only saw her twice a week and generally accepted what she said as truth.

When asked if she had trouble driving, Mom would say, “Oh no. I’m a great driver.” We later learned that an employee of Safeway had taken her home numerous times because she couldn’t find her car in the parking lot when she finished shopping.
When we asked if she was all right living alone, Mom assured us that she was fine and loved living alone. Later we learned that she was heating the house through the winter with the oven turned on high and door propped open, that she was sponge bathing because she no longer knew how to adjust the water for a shower, that she ate cookies 3 times a day because she didn’t remember how to cook or operate her microwave.

And the list goes on and on–.

Once, Mom called me to complain that she hadn’t seen my brother in more than a year. I was furious until I spoke to my brother, and he explained that she had told him the same thing about me. We had both been to her home twice during the previous week, but on different days.

Mom was not lying; not when she said she hadn’t seen my brother, nor when she said she hadn’t seen me. We had both been to her home, but she didn’t remember our visits. If I reminded Mom, or urged her by saying, “Mom, remember, he brought you flowers.”

She would promptly correct herself and say, “Oh yea, I do remember that.”

But in reality, she didn’t remember it at all. Once I was aware of this little ploy, I was shocked how often Mom agreed with me and covered by saying, “Oh yea, I remember that.”

Because the Alzheimer’s sufferer senses they should remember–and knows we expect them to remember–they pretend to remember.

This can be very detrimental to the caregiver if they rely on the patient to answer questions about eating, or bathing, or taking medication. It must be assumed that middle stage Alzheimer’s and Dementia sufferers may not tell the truth, simply because they aren’t sure what the truth is. They can’t remember if they’ve had lunch, or taken their pills, or had a shower this day. They may tell you they remember because they want to please you–but they don’t remember. By the time Mom was in middle stage Alzheimer’s her short term memory lasted only seconds. She could tell you something, turn around and repeat it all again as though telling it for the first time.

It’s also important that family members don’t believe every accusation the Alzheimer’s or Dementia sufferer tells them. It’s wise to investigate, to be sure, but the patient often resents the caregiver for denying them access to their car, or pills, or a power mower, or hand guns. The patient simply doesn’t know what is and what is NOT best for him/her by this stage. And sometimes they resort to wild accusations that simply aren’t true. By middle stage Alzheimer’s hallucinations can be a common occurrence.

Remember– no one sees the haunting and disturbing behavior day in and day out like the caregiver. They hear repeated and constant stumbling over every word and suffer an oppressive amount of repetition in a single day’s time. They must repeat each instruction over and over, day after day, to a patient who never remembers.

And yet, the person with Alzheimer’s Dementia is captive to their disease. There is nothing vindictive about their behavior. They can’t help what they say or even how they behave. It must always be remembered, their mind is confused and there is no understanding of our explanations.

I’ve said this many times before–

The person with Alzheimer’s Dementia does not need the truth, only comfort and love.

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Alzheimer’s Disease Guide Understand Alzheimer’s Teaching Dementia Care Alzheimer’s 911 Memory Loss Dementia: Frank and Linda Speaking Dementia Understanding Early Stages

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Is This The Beginning of Alzheimer’s Disease or… What City is this anyway?

04/1912 Comments

The Beginning of Alzheimer’s Disease

My mother was in her late 70’s when her second husband passed away. The time and photo of her, with my son, was 10 years before her diagnosis.

Her first marriage had not been a happy one but this second mating was perfect. Mom enjoyed a full and happy life for 15 years with her second husband, a kind and caring man. They traveled the East Coast, sights that were new and unique for my Mom; a west coast lady for all of her life after leaving Oklahoma as little more than a teen.

I hadn’t spent nearly as much time with her during the last few years of her life. My young children were growing up and becoming young adults, monopolizing most of my time. And Mom was busy with her own life– a new husband and happier than she’d ever been.

Mom was fortunate to have good health, a happy smile and youthful attitude well into her seventies. I only hoped I was lucky enough to inherit her good genes. Then, unexpectedly, her husband was gone– an infection after major surgery. And Mom was alone again.

She owned her own home, had a nice car, was in good health (never a drinker or smoker), and was as active as she’d ever been. I knew she’d be fine, only needing to brush-up on her rusty driving skills. All driving had been deferred to her new hubby for the past 15 years so Mom was skittish behind the wheel.

Driving for Mom was limited to a weekly trip to her favorite hair-dresser and quick “run-backs” to Safeway at the same shopping center, only a block away.

To break the monotony of her loneliness I invited Mom for an occasional weekend at our place. I’ll never forget a particular visit that left me puzzled about Mom’s behavior.

Mom loved shopping so on the second day of her visit, we woke early and spent a full day of shopping and lunch at the mall.

After lunch, Mom appeared to be a little tired and confused so we headed back to the car. As she stood near the passenger door, she inhaled deeply, held out her arms and said, “Take a deep breath. Isn’t this great. It’s funny how much better the air smells in Texas.”

I frowned. We lived in Arizona, we’d lived in Arizona for 35 years. The air could take your breath away in the summer alright, it was Hot and Dry and if you breathed too deeply you’d probably scorch your lungs.

“Right,” I agreed facetiously, “You can fry an egg on the sidewalk this time of year, Mom.”

Mom frowned, and asked, “You can? In Texas too? You can fry an egg on the sidewalk in Texas?”

Now, I was confused. I stashed our packages in the trunk and got Mom into the car. Something was wrong, I was certain of it. After getting her seated, I hurried to the driver’s side. I couldn’t imagine what might have happened but Mom was clearly confused. The thought of a stroke entered my mind.

“Mom…” I finally turned to her, “This is Arizona.”

She didn’t face me, but leaned back in the seat and a puzzled expression wrinkled her brow. “This is Arizona?“

Her eyes were confused when she turned toward me, searching my face for the sign of a grin. She thought I was teasing her. “We’re in Arizona?” She repeated the question as she looked out the window, clearly searching for something to help get her bearings.

I nodded. “Mom, do you have a headache, or anything?” I started the car while I watched her cautiously. “Yes, this is Arizona. We’ve lived here for 35 years. What made you think it was Texas?”

She rubbed her forehead and I could see the struggle as she accepted my words and brought her mind back to Arizona.

“My goodness,” she finally said. “I could have sworn we were in Texas.” She pointed out the window. “I think this mall is built exactly like the mall we use to visit in Texas. It confused me for a moment.” Then she laughed aloud.

I couldn’t help but laugh, too, once I knew that Mom was all right. “Nope, Mom, you’re in Arizona. We haven’t been in Texas in 35 years.”

That moment was a missed warning. But later it became a humorous story that Mom and I told often, laughing harder at the silliness of it with every telling. It would be years before I looked back and realized that day at the mall had been an ominous “sign,” a “symptom” of what was yet to come– Alzheimer’s.

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Living Your Best With Early-Stage Alzheimer’s: An Essential Guide Come Back Early Today: A Memoir of Love, Alzheimer’s and Joy Developing Support Groups for Individuals with Early-Stage Alzheimer’s The Alzheimer’s Answer: Reduce Your Risk and Keep Your Brain Healthy The Alzheimer’s Action Plan: What You Need to Know–and need to Do Ice Cream in the Cupboard: A True Story of Early Onset Alzheimer’s

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Early Signs and Symptoms of Dementia Dismissed as Simple Aging

04/19Leave a Comment

Early Signs and Symptoms of Dementia Dismissed

I felt a sense of relief that my mom was so independent for her age. Almost 80, she looked and acted years younger. Her health was good, she ate well and exercised daily.

Years as a dietitian had taught her the value of a balanced diet filled with fruits and vegetables. She loved to cook, sew, crochet, knit and embroider. She was an artsy-crafty woman who never knew the word “bored.” Mom had more plans and goals than someone many years her junior.

I felt a strong sense of gratitude that I had reached my late-fifties and early-sixties with a living mother. Too often we take our parents for granted when we’re younger. But as we reach later stages of life and still have living parents, we’re grateful.

That doesn’t mean that every minute between us was bliss, we had our share of arguments. We were like any other Mother and daughter— but I couldn’t imagine a day without her.

After Mom’s husband passed away, our times together became more frequent. I made the trip across town (we lived on opposite sides of a large metropolitan city) twice weekly. It was a renewal of an old friendship for me. We hadn’t been together as often since her days with my father, more than 15 years before. Now we were learning about each other all over again. My brothers visited, also. We alternated days so she would have fewer days alone and less time for grieving the loss of her most-recent husband.

Oddly, Mom seemed a happier person than I remembered. The strain of marriage to my father all but forgotten, happy memories with her new husband became the topic of our conversations. I wanted to hear about their travels, the places she’d seen, the experiences she’d had, the souvenirs she’d brought home and preserved in stacks and stacks of photo albums and shadow boxes. A bedroom full. And I wanted to share with her all the experiences I’d missed while she’d created a new life with someone other than my father.

One afternoon as I rummaged through Mom’s travelogues, searching for a particular city I wanted to learn more about, I thought of something a little odd. “Where are our photo albums, Mom?” I asked her. It had been years since my brothers and I sat around a messy stack of photo albums and laughed at younger photos of ourselves until our stomach muscles ached from raucous laughter.

“Your photo albums?” Mom repeated my question with a blank look on her face, clearly she had no idea what I was talking about.

“Mom..” I said. “We had stacks and stacks of photo albums. Kindergarten through High School, Children through Grand-Children and now… Great Grand-Children.” I hadn’t seen those albums in years, but I was certain of their existence. “Yes,” I was firm, “the photo albums of me and Randy and Tim. Our families!”

Mom stared at me for long moments, clearly trying let what I’d said soak in and plan a response. It was almost as though I were a stranger, why would she have pictures of my family. Then she grew suddenly flippant and answered, “Oh, they’re around here somewhere.”

She stood abruptly, averted her eyes as she brushed the question away along with the imaginary dust on her apron. “I’m gonna fix us both a cup of tea,” her voice trailed off as she ducked her head and rushed off to the kitchen. Clearly, without a word, she had said the subject was closed, no more questions about our family photo albums. Amazed, I could only wonder at how odd the entire encounter had been.

And I still thought of it that evening at home. It seemed a strange thing to be so bothered about, I consoled myself. A small moment of brain freeze, perhaps, I tried to comfort my doubts. It was bizarre, none the less. And if it wasn’t weird behavior, and shouldn’t upset me, why was my stomach in such a knot.

As I thought back about that strange day, much later after a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s had been made–then, it all became clear and made sense.

Mom had hedged on every album I pulled out. She wouldn’t identify a picture, name a city or discuss her, now deceased, hubby’s family. Yet it was all of them so obviously smiling from so many of those pictures taken in Wisconsin. I had wondered if her heart was too heavy with grief. Maybe she didn’t want to remember all those good times, didn’t want the reminder of what her life had been, maybe the grief of losing her husband ran too deep, it had been scarcely more than a year since his passing now.

She seldom spoke of him anymore, and when I mentioned his name Mom would change the subject. Another mystery that I’d been unable to solve. My mother just wasn’t quite my mother anymore. I couldn’t explain it, I just knew Mom wasn’t her old happy self.

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