What Are The First Sign Of Alzheimer’s

Trouble Keeping Track Of And Paying Bills

Every month, you know exactly which bills are due and whenor at least, you used to know. In the early stages of Alzheimer’s, working with numbers becomes difficult, making it hard to ensure payments are going out on time. If you suddenly struggle to remember to pay the same bills you’ve been paying for years, talk to your doctor about the possibility of early onset dementia.

Referral To A Specialist

Your GP may refer you to a specialist memory assessment service to help with your diagnosis. Memory clinics are staffed by professionals from multiple disciplines who are experts in diagnosing, caring for and advising people with dementia and their families.

Memory clinic staff can include the following, depending on your local area:

• a nurse usually a trained mental health nurse who specialises in diagnosing and caring for people with dementia
• a psychologist a healthcare professional who specialises in the assessment and treatment of mental health conditions
• a psychiatrist a qualified medical doctor who has training in treating mental health conditions
• a neurologist a specialist in treating conditions that affect the nervous system
• a geriatrician a physician with specialist training in the care of older people
• a social worker a trained member of staff able to advise and assist with accessing social services within the local area
• an occupational therapist a member of staff with specialist skills in assessing and supporting people with dementia and their families with adjusting to disabilities

There’s no simple and reliable test for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease, but the staff will listen to the concerns of both you and your family about your memory or thinking. They will assess your skills and arrange more tests to rule out other conditions.

Mild Cognitive Impairment May Be A Sign Of Alzheimers

As people age, they may become more forgetful taking longer to put a name to a face, say, or to remember a computer password.

But a condition called mild cognitive impairment is more significant than that. For some people, it may be a precursor to Alzheimers or even an early form of the disease.

Individuals with MCI may have memory and other cognitive problems that are noticeable to them and to people close to them. But these problems arent typically serious enough to interfere with everyday activities.

Between 30 to 50 percent of those with MCI go on to develop Alzheimers disease within 5 to 10 years.

In contrast, only 1 to 3 percent of people who are 65 or older and who have normal cognition will develop Alzheimers in any given year.

Amnestic MCI primarily affects memory, while non-amnestic MCI affects thinking skills not associated with memory, such as decision-making.

If you have MCI you may notice the following symptoms:

• You forget things more often, such as recent conversations.
• You forget about important events, like appointments and social plans.
• You lose your train of thought or have trouble following a conversation or the plots of movies or books.
• You feel increasingly overwhelmed by making decisions, planning steps to accomplish a task, or understanding instructions.
• You have trouble navigating places you know well.
• You begin making unusually poor decisions or become more impulsive.
• Your family and friends notice these changes.

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Alzheimer’s Or Normal Aging

Just about everyone has minor memory glitches as they get older. If someone forgets a name or why they walked into the kitchen, that doesn’t mean they have Alzheimer’s.

The main problem that defines the disease is trouble planning and handling day-to-day tasks, like paying bills, managing a checkbook, or using familiar appliances around the house.

Difficulty In Calculating Numbers And Handling Money Or Balancing The Cheque Book

Consistent financial problems and money struggles are high on the early signs of dementia checklist. These dementia symptoms include changes in an ability to develop and follow a plan or work with numbers. This could include:

• Spending money more frivolously than usual
• Having difficult following a recipe with measurements
• Being uncharacteristically generous with money
• Struggling to keep track of monthly bills

If youre concerned about your parents ability to handle their finances, read our guide on protecting their legal and financial situation.

This is different to: common age-related issues such as missing a couple of debt repayments due to low income, making occasional errors with number calculations.

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What Is The Treatment For Alzheimers Disease

Theres no cure for Alzheimers disease, but certain medications can temporarily slow the worsening of dementia symptoms. Medications and other interventions can also help with behavioral symptoms.

Beginning treatment as early as possible for Alzheimers could help maintain daily functioning for a while. However, current medications wont stop or reverse AD.

As AD affects everyone differently, treatment is highly individualized. Healthcare providers work with people with Alzheimers and their caregivers to determine the best treatment plan.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved two types of drugs to treat the symptoms of Alzheimers disease:

• Cholinesterase inhibitors.
• NMDA antagonists.

The FDA has given accelerated approval for aducanumab , the first disease-modifying therapy for Alzheimers disease. The medication helps to reduce amyloid deposits in your brain.

Aducanumab is a new medication, and researchers studied its effects in people living with early Alzheimers disease. Because of this, it may only help people in the early stage.

Cholinesterase inhibitors

The following cholinesterase inhibitors can help treat the symptoms of mild to moderate Alzheimers disease:

• Donepezil . This is also FDA-approved to treat moderate to severe AD.

These drugs can improve some memory problems and reduce some behavioral symptoms of Alzheimers disease.

These medications dont cure Alzheimers disease or stop the progression of the disease.

NMDA antagonists

Clinical trials

Difficulty Performing Tasks At Home At Work Or In Daily Life

If we see that the recipe that was previously a delicacy is missing ingredients, or you are not able to remember the steps to prepare it and you need some clue or help to continue it and finish it successfully, it is likely that you should request a visit to the neurologist.

In everyday situations at home not knowing what to buy, not knowing how to use appliances, confusing money or not being able to perform more than one task at a time these are signs that something is wrong.

And at work forgetting important events, taking longer to do things, or having difficulty performing usual tasks should make us consider reviewing our cognitive health.

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A Shortened Attention Span

As Alzheimer’s spreads in the brain, one issue that might pop up is a shortened attention span. Someone who used to be able to sit and have a full conversation might no longer be able to focus on just one thing for more than a few minutes or even a few seconds, according to the National Institute on Aging.

Scientists Reveal How To Spot Signs Of Dementia Nine Years Before Diagnosis

• The Independent

It could be possible to spot signs of dementia up to nine years before diagnosis, a new study has found.

The findings, published in Alzheimers & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimers Association, mean that future at-risk patients could be screened to help identify those who might benefit from early interventions to reduce their risk of developing dementia-related diseases.

They could also help select those suitable for clinical trials for new treatments.

When we looked back at patients histories, it became clear that they were showing some cognitive impairment several years before their symptoms became obvious enough to prompt a diagnosis, study author Nol Swaddiwudhipong, a junior doctor at the University of Cambridge, said.

The impairments were often subtle, but across a number of aspects of cognition. This is a step towards us being able to screen people who are at greatest risk – for example, people over 50 or those who have high blood pressure or do not do enough exercise – and intervene at an earlier stage to help them reduce their risk.

For the study, researchers analysed data from the UK Biobank database and pinpointed problem solving and number recall as two of the early signs patients could develop dementia.

Senior author Dr Tim Rittman, also from the University of Cambridge, said: People should not be unduly worried if, for example, they are not good at recalling numbers.

Additional reporting by PA

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Understanding Mild Cognitive Impairment

Mild Cognitive Impairment is a health problem that changes how the brain works. MCI makes it harder to think and remember things. There are a few different types of MCI, but it is most often thought to be the earliest clinical stage of Alzheimerâs. Checking out early signs and symptoms of MCI can help you find more choices for treatment and support.

Signs And Symptoms Of Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive condition, which means the symptoms develop gradually and become more severe over the course of several years. It affects multiple brain functions.

The first sign of Alzheimer’s disease is usually minor memory problems. For example, this could be forgetting about recent conversations or events, and forgetting the names of places and objects.

As the condition develops, memory problems become more severe and further symptoms can develop, such as:

• confusion, disorientation and getting lost in familiar places
• difficulty planning or making decisions
• problems with speech and language
• problems moving around without assistance or performing self-care tasks
• personality changes, such as becoming aggressive, demanding and suspicious of others
• hallucinations and delusions
• low mood or anxiety

Read more about the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease

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Who Does Alzheimers Disease Affect

Alzheimers disease mainly affects people over age 65. The higher your age over 65, the more likely youll develop Alzheimers.

Some people develop Alzheimers disease before age 65 typically in their 40s or 50s. This is called early-onset Alzheimers disease. Its rare. Less than 10% of AD cases are early-onset.

Reducing Risk Of Alzheimers Disease

Rudolph Tanzi, Ph.D., a Harvard neurogeneticist who co-discovered the first Alzheimers disease gene, developed the acronym SHIELD, listed below, as a way to promote brain health and help preserve cognitive function .

Sleep

Dr. Tanzi recommends sleeping seven to eight hours each night to help flush amyloid from the brain effectively. Amyloid is a naturally occurring protein that clumps together to form plaques between neurons in the brain, which can disrupt cell function and lead to the symptoms commonly associated with Alzhiemers disease.

Handling Stress

When youre stressed, your brain gets overworked and develops more amyloid in response. Meditation and managing expectations can help minimize stress and the resulting accumulation of amyloid.

Interaction With Friends

Loneliness can cause stress, and increased stress levels are associated with increased amyloid production. By protecting your social health, you can protect your cognitive health as well, says Dr. Tanzi.

Exercise

Exercise increases nerve cell growth and triggers the enzymatic breakdown of amyloid. Prioritizing movement in your wellness routine can be a helpful way to protect overall brain health.

Learning New Things

Dr. Tanzi says learning a new and challenging skill can help increase the number of synapses in the brain more than basic brain games, as well as strengthen those synapses. If youve been considering exploring a new hobby, theres no time like the present to give it a try.

Diet

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Needing Constant Memory Aids

When your memory is in good working order, you can recall most things without always having to write them down or be reminded. However, those in the throes of early Alzheimer’s become more dependent on memory aids, like reminder notes, and often need their friends and family members to help them out. If you can’t so much as remember to pick your friend up at the airport without an alert on your phone telling you to do so, it might be time to see the doctor.

How Is Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnosed

Doctors use several methods and tools to help determine if a person with thinking or memory problems has Alzheimers disease. To diagnose Alzheimers, doctors may:

• Ask the person experiencing symptoms, as well as a family member or friend, questions about overall health, use of prescription and over-the-counter medicines, diet, past medical problems, ability to carry out daily activities, and changes in behavior and personality.
• Administer a psychiatric evaluation to determine if depression or another mental health condition is causing or contributing to a person’s symptoms.
• Conduct tests of memory, problem solving, attention, counting, and language.
• Order blood, urine, and other standard medical tests that can help identify other possible causes of the problem.
• Perform brain scans, such as computed tomography , magnetic resonance imaging , or positron emission tomography , to support an Alzheimers diagnosis or rule out other possible causes for symptoms.

Doctors may want to repeat these tests to help best determine how the persons memory and other cognitive functions are changing over time. The tests can also help diagnose other causes of memory problems, such as stroke, tumor, Parkinsons disease, sleep disturbances, side effects of medication, an infection, or another type of dementia. Some of these conditions may be treatable and possibly reversible.

People with memory problems should return to the doctor every six to 12 months.

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Symptoms Of Mild Cognitive Impairment

Some people have a condition called mild cognitive impairment , which can be an early sign of Alzheimers. However, not everyone with MCI will develop Alzheimers. People with MCI can still take care of themselves and perform their normal activities. MCI memory problems may include:

What Can I Expect If My Loved One Has Alzheimers Disease

Its important to remember that no two people with Alzheimers disease are affected in the same way. Its difficult to predict how your loved one will be affected. The best way you can prepare is to talk to healthcare providers who specialize in researching and treating Alzheimers disease and dementia.

As the condition progresses, your loved one may benefit from a team of providers who can care for their needs.

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Becoming Confused In Familiar Surroundings

Your parent may forget where they are and how they got there. Along with losing track of dates, seasons and the time this is one of the most tell-tale early onset dementia symptoms.

They may also struggle to understand something if its not happening immediately. This is because the mind of someone with dementia is mostly situated in the present and they find it difficult to comprehend the passage of time.

For example, your mum may tell you shes missed you because she thinks she hasnt seen you in a long time, but in reality you visited her last week. Another example includes time passing very slowly in a general sense: ten minutes might seem like an hour, an hour might seem like a day and so on.

This is different to: getting confused about the day of the week but working it out later.

Vascular dementia differs from Alzheimers Disease in that it involves stroke-like symptoms including muscle weakness or partial paralysis.

This type of dementia can also be an after-effect of a stroke or mini stroke.

Vascular dementia symptoms can also include confusion, memory loss, low attention span and difficulty in performing everyday tasks.

What Are The Early Signs Of Dementia

To address the problem identified by its findings, the Alzheimers Society has produced a new checklist in partnership with the Royal College of GPs to help people identify the symptoms of dementia and to encourage them to get diagnosed and seek help.

It includes assessing whether people are suffering from memory problems, such as struggling to find the right words or repeating questions and phrases experiencing issues with daily living such as struggling to pay bills or getting lost when out in public as well as behavioural or emotional problems such as becoming aggressive or withdrawn or acting inappropriately.

Dr Jill Rasmussen, clinical representative for dementia at the Royal College of General Practitioners, said: Its vital for patients, their families and GPs that conversations with the potential for a diagnosis of dementia are timely and effective.

The new checklist developed with Alzheimers Society is a simple, free tool to help patients and their families clearly communicate their symptoms and concerns during an often time-pressured appointment.

This resource could make a real difference in identifying those people who require referral for a more detailed evaluation and diagnosis of their problems.

Were asking anyone who is worried about possible dementia symptoms to use the checklist and share it with their primary care team.

You can access the checklist here and find more information on dementia at the Alzheimers Society and NHS websites.

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Stopping In The Middle Of A Conversation

If you find yourself or someone else stopping in the middle of a conversation, it could be an early sign of Alzheimer’s. When this is the case, the Alzheimer’s Association notes it’s really hard for an individual to jump back in. They have no idea how to continue on after the pause, so help them out by reminding them where you left off.

What Are The Symptoms Of Early

For most people with early-onset Alzheimer disease, the symptoms closely mirror those of other forms of Alzheimer disease.

Early symptoms:

• Withdrawal from work and social situations

• Changes in mood and personality

Later symptoms:

• Severe mood swings and behavior changes

• Deepening confusion about time, place, and life events

• Suspicions about friends, family, or caregivers

• Trouble speaking, swallowing, or walking

• Severe memory loss

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Where To Find Help

When your loved one is displaying troubling symptoms, a trip to a primary care physician is often the first step. But to get a definitive diagnosis, youll need to see a specialist such as a neurologist, geriatrician or geriatric psychiatrist.

If you cant find one, the National Institute on Aging recommends contacting the neurology department of a nearby medical school. Some hospitals also have clinics that focus on dementia.

Specialists will want to know about the patients medical history and habits as well as their family medical history.

Recent research suggests that a prevalence among even members of your extended family can increase your dementia risk. And modifiable factors like high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes and insufficient physical activity can increase a persons risk for dementia.

Doctors also will conduct physical and neurological exams to rule out other treatable causes for dementia symptoms.

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