Worried It’s Alzheimer’s? 8 Symptoms to Watch For
- Does your parent ask repetitive questions or retell stories within minutes of the first mention?
- Does she forget the names of recent acquaintances or younger family members, such as grandchildren?
- Are memory lapses growing progressively worse (such as affecting information that was previously very well known)?
- Are they happening more frequently (several times a day or within short periods of time)?
- Is this forgetfulness unusual for your parent (such as sudden memory lapses in someone who prided herself on never needing grocery lists or an address book)?
- Does your parent have difficulty finding the “right” word when she’s speaking?
- Does she forget or substitute words for everyday things (such as “the cooking thingamajig” for pot or “hair fixer” for comb)?
- Is your usually assertive parent more subdued (or vice versa)?
- Has your usually reserved parent may become less inhibited (or vice versa)?
- Does your parent withdraw, even from family and friends, perhaps in response to problems with memory or communication?
- Has she developed mood swings, anxiety, or frustration, especially in connection with embarrassing memory lapses or noticeable communication problems?
- Has she developed uncharacteristic fears of new or unknown environments or situations, or developed a distrust of others, whether strangers or familiar people?
- Do you see signs of depression (including changes in sleep, appetite, mood)?
- How well does your parent handle relatively simple mathematical tasks, such as balancing a checkbook?
- Is she having trouble paying bills or keeping finances in order, tasks she previously had no problem completing?
- Does she have trouble following along with a discussion, understanding an explanation, or following instructions?
- Has your parent begun to have trouble preparing meals?
- Is she less engaged in a hobby that once absorbed her (bridge, painting, crossword puzzles)?
- Does she stop in the middle of a project, such as baking or making a repair, and fail to complete it?
- Has she stopped using a particular talent or skill that once gave her pleasure (sewing, singing, playing the piano)?
- Has your parent begun to be disoriented in new or unfamiliar environments (such as a hospital or airport), asking where she is, how she got there, or how to get back to a place she recognizes?
- Has she become disoriented in an environment she knows well?
- Does she wander off and get lost in public (or get lost when driving or after parking)?
- Does she lose track of the time, day, month, or year? For example, after being reminded about a future doctor’s appointment over the phone, she may start getting ready for the appointment right away. Or she may have trouble keeping appointments and remembering other events or commitments.
- Does your parent “lose” items often?
- Do they turn up in unusual places (such as finding a wallet in the freezer)?
Published July 15, 2012
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