| How do you know if that forgetfulness you've had is | | | | such as the ice-cream in the oven, or clothes in the |
| an early sign of Alzheimer's disease, or just normal | | | | dishwasher. |
| aging? | | | | Disorientation: A person with Alzheimer's disease can |
| You may forget the occasional name or sometimes | | | | get lost in their own street or stay sitting at the bus |
| have trouble thinking of the right word to use. Maybe | | | | station because they can't remember where they |
| you walk into another room and wonder what you | | | | were going. They may not remember how to get |
| were looking for. Is it Alzheimer's, aging, or just plain | | | | home. |
| being distracted, doing one thing while you're thinking | | | | Impaired Judgement: Wearing a thick jacket on a |
| of another? | | | | blazing hot day or a swimsuit in the middle of winter |
| There are signs to look out for, signs that tell you it's | | | | could be a sign of dementia. Having poor judgement |
| time to get to the specialist and get checked out. | | | | with money can be a symptom too, such as |
| Treatments for Alzheimer's disease work best in the | | | | spending big amounts of money with telemarketers |
| early stages so it's vitally important to get an early | | | | or buying products that aren't needed. |
| diagnosis. An early diagnosis and early treatment can | | | | Trouble with Complex Tasks: Having trouble with |
| give you more years of normal functioning, and save | | | | tasks that require abstract thinking like balancing a |
| you and your family tens or even hundreds of | | | | check book or playing a favourite game can be |
| thousands of dollars. | | | | difficult for the Alzheimer's sufferer. |
| The Warning Signs | | | | Mood Swings, and Personality Changes: Mood |
| Memory Loss: We all forget things like appointments, | | | | changes for no apparent reason can be another |
| names, and phone numbers occasionally, and that's | | | | symptom. The sufferer could be happy and cheerful |
| normal. Forgetting freshly learned information more | | | | one minute, and then suddenly become extremely |
| often can be a warning sign though. | | | | angry over something that is quite trivial, or that |
| Communication Problems: Having trouble finding the | | | | they have imagined. They can become clingy with a |
| right word is not unusual, but the Alzheimer's sufferer | | | | family member, or suspicious of the neighbours. |
| often forgets simple words and may use unusual | | | | Loss of Initiative: We can all get tired of housework |
| words or strange descriptions. A camera may | | | | or our business activities sometimes. But someone |
| become "that box that makes pictures". | | | | suffering from Alzheimer's disease can become quite |
| Problems with everyday tasks: A person with | | | | passive, watching television for hours, not wanting to |
| Alzheimer's disease can start having trouble doing | | | | do their normal activities, or spending more time |
| jobs or hobbies that they've had many years of | | | | sleeping. |
| experience with. For example, they may be halfway | | | | Many more people are worried that they may have |
| through their favourite recipe and forget how to | | | | Alzheimer's disease than actually get the disease. |
| finish it though they've done it many times before. | | | | However, if you are suffering from these symptoms, |
| Misplacing Things: This isn't the normal losing the car | | | | see a specialist. |
| keys, but more like putting things in unusual places | | | | |