Five Warnings Signs of Alzheimer's Disease: A Family's Point of View

Alzheimer's disease can be very dangerous and is a medical condition increases as people get older. Typically, Alzheimer's disease will occur in people over the age of 65, but it can happen at any time in your life. If you think someone you know might have Alzheimer's disease there are several different warning signs that a family would be able to pick up on. I myself witnessed someone going through Alzheimer's disease and noted some of the key warning signs you should be looking out for. In no way are these warning signs a diagnostic tool for Alzheimer's disease, they are merely signs you should look to for a potential problem. If you know a family member who exhibits any of these warning signs of Alzheimer's disease, you should get them to a hospital where they can be evaluated by a medical professional for a proper diagnosis.

One of the classic warning signs that a family member might have Alzheimer's disease is forgetting something that your family member should know. Dementia is a hallmark sign of Alzheimer's disease and should be looked at closely when considering the possibility of Alzheimer's disease. As we get older, we do tend to forget some things like an appointment or a birthday so that is not an issue. Dementia in the form of forgetting everyday tasks or if the phone rings and the family member does not remember who they were talking to, could be a sign of Alzheimer's disease. My grandma was diagnosed a long time ago with Alzheimer's disease and one of the signs that alerted us that something could be wrong was that she forgot how to make her famous peanut butter fudge. She made this peanut butter fudge every year for Christmas and just one year she stood in front of the microwave looking at it like she had never seen one before. Forgetting things is common especially for busy or stressed out people, but it is the memory loss that affects everyday life that you really need to watch out for.

Difficulty in performing everyday tasks is also a classic warning sign of Alzheimer's disease. Everyone will occasionally forget why they went into a particular room or why they called someone but this should not happen all the time. If someone you know forgets more often that normal about why they went into a room or why they called a certain person, then this could be an indication of something like Alzheimer's disease. Some people might forget how to dial a telephone number or how to turn the microwave on and this should be an indication something could be wrong. Alzheimer's disease will affect everyday activities like running a microwave or dialing a telephone number and it can be one of the earliest warning signs of the disease.

Being unable to communicate properly is also a very early warning sign that someone in your family might be suffering from Alzheimer's disease. It is common for people to be at a loss for words and to not know the right word to use all of the time to express something. When you think of Alzheimer's disease and communication, it is more simple than just forgetting a word sometimes. If someone suffers from Alzheimer's disease they might not be able to remember what a hairbrush is called and instead ask for "the thing that goes through my hair." When your family member forgets words or objects that they use in their daily life this could be an indication of a serious issue such as Alzheimer's disease. Forgetting commonly used names and words will be often one of the first things that are noticeable for a family member. Along with language communication, someone with Alzheimer's disease might not be able to write properly or in a legible manner. Someone who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease might forget the way to dot letters or might forget the slant they use to write. Handwriting will often become unbalanced and written like a three year old rather than someone older with years of handwriting experience.

A very abrupt change in mood or behavior is also an important warning sign of Alzheimer's disease and can be noticed very easily by a family member. Someone who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease might be happy one minute and then just start crying two minutes later. The abrupt mood swings and changes in behavior often have happened without any warning or any reason. If you notice changes like being happy then irritable or angry without having a reason for these changes, that person might be suffering from Alzheimer's disease. It is okay that people can become sad one minute and happy the next but these sudden changes in mood and behavior do not occur often. Someone with Alzheimer's disease will have these characteristics more often than not and they will be unprovoked and without cause or reason. Someone with Alzheimer's disease can become very irrational and sometimes aggressive without knowing why they feel that way or how to control their emotions. If you notice changes in mood or behavior in someone and know there is no real reason behind the sudden change, you might consider taking them to a medical professional for further evaluation.

Misplacing things around the house can be another great early warning sign of Alzheimer's disease. Now I am not saying that someone who puts their keys in the fruit bowl has Alzheimer's disease, because we all do silly things and misplace items sometimes when we are in a hurry. This is more of a common occurrence and it will happen with everyday items being put in the oddest of places. If you notice someone putting the remote in the refrigerator or putting an item like flour into the freezer, this could be a warning sign of Alzheimer's disease. It might even be as odd as someone putting their earrings in a bowl of sugar or their cell phone in the bathroom closet. In most cases, people who are suffering from Alzheimer's disease will put everyday items in locations that are so odd and obviously wrong which is why it can be seen as an early warning sign. Someone with Alzheimer's disease will put items in very unusual places and often will not have any idea as to why they put that item there. Misplacing things is a common occurrence to everyone but with someone with Alzheimer's disease, the items they misplace and the unusual places the items are put make it an obvious warning sign.

As with all warning signs of Alzheimer's disease these are only possible warning signs and do not indicate that someone actually is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. There are many medical reasons as to why some of these warning signs will occur and they can range from a brain injury to cancer so these warning signs to not conclude Alzheimer's disease as the medical condition. If you know someone who is suffering from any one of these early warning signs of Alzheimer's disease, they should be checked out by a medical professional. A medical professional will be able to determine the cause and source of these possible medical issues and only a medical professional has the ability to properly diagnose a disease like Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease is a disease that should not be taken lightly and can have a profound effect on the lives of everyone around so getting medical treatment should be a priority.

This content is not intended to replace medical advice from licensed professionals.