11 Alzheimer's Signs and Symptoms that Should Never Be Ignored

Being forgetful is often a part of aging. But, when does it become serious? Dr. Raj C. Shah, who specializes in Family Medicine & Geriatric Medicine at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, said that a single symptom cannot diagnose a person with Alzheimer’s or dementia. 

If people recognize the symptoms of dementia earlier, a diagnosis can be made much faster.

Here are 11 important signs and symptoms that indicate dementia or Alzheimer's disease.

1. Memory loss

Serious loss of memory is not a common part of aging. Forgetfulness due to depression, stress, or anxiety, can be confused with dementia, especially if the patient is older.

Lisa P. Gwyther, one of the authors of The Alzheimer's Action Plan: A Family Guide, said that it's normal for people not to remember every single detail of a conversation or a task that someone asked to do. However, for people with Alzheimer’s,  they tend to forget very recent details or conversations. She also said that they have a tendency to repeat the things they say since they easily forget what they just said.  

Gwyther also added that there is no consistency with memory loss. For people who have Alzheimer’s, they may remember a name now but forget it another day. Memory loss also progresses over time.

2. Impairment of judgment

One symptom of Alzheimer’s is impaired judgment. Patients will start to make irresponsible, inappropriate, or irrational decisions that are deviant from their previous behavior. Choosing improper clothing for the weather and not being able to differentiate what is safe and not are some of these decisions.

3. Financial difficulties

Alzheimer’s patients have trouble thinking abstractly as their condition worsens, dealing with numbers and finances become bothersome. Gwyther said that this is one of the earliest changes related to judgment. She said that they will start spending money in strange ways, such as giving away money to strangers and not paying when they need to. They also think that the person they give the money to is deceitful.

Forgetting to pay monthly bills is not unusual. However, if a person has trouble handling finances, such as managing a budget and understanding numbers, this can be a symptom of dementia.

4. Trouble with daily tasks

Daily tasks might be more difficult to finish or take a longer time to complete for patients who have dementia, even when they have done these tasks numerous times. Some examples are difficulty in cooking or boiling water. Having a hard time doing simple activities like going to a familiar place and playing a favorite game may also be increasingly hard for them.

Because motor skills are affected, it may be another reason why they have trouble doing familiar tasks. Their difficulties are far more noticeable as compared to mistakes that happen occasionally.  

Read on to learn the 7 other important signs and symptoms.