By Khalida Sarwari
For most, the holidays usually mean more time to spend with the family, and while that’s generally cheerful news, going home can be stressful for some who notice changes in their aging relatives’ memories and behaviors, leaving them to wonder if their loved ones are suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
Typically during and after the holiday season, the Alzheimer’s Association reports a rise in calls to its 24-hour helpline from people expressing doubt about the state of an aging family member or friend, according to Michele Boudreau, a spokeswoman for the organization.
“What we’re seeing is families are visiting for the holidays and they notice changes,” she said, “and they’re not sure if it’s normal aging or if there’s something going on.”
To help people navigate this issue during the holidays, the Alzheimer’s Association has identified 10 signs to help distinguish normal aging from Alzheimer’s disease.
Early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or dementia is important, said Boudreau, because patients can benefit from care and support services, which make it easier for them and their families to manage the disease.
The first sign to pay attention to is memory loss that disrupts daily life, said Boudreau. Some examples are forgetting important dates or events, repeatedly asking for the same information or relying on memory aids or other people for things the individual used to handle on their own. But while
memory loss is the most common sign of Alzheimer’s, forgetting names or appointments and then remembering them later is a sign of normal aging and shouldn’t raise concern.
Another sign is encountering challenges in developing and following a plan or solving problems. For example, an individual with Alzheimer’s may have difficulty in following a familiar recipe, keeping track of monthly bills or concentrating. What is normal, however, is making occasional errors when balancing a checkbook.
Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home or at work is another sign of Alzheimer’s. Patients may have trouble driving to a familiar location, managing a budget at work or remembering the rules of a favorite game. Not so worrisome is needing help to use the settings on a microwave or recording a TV show once in awhile.
The fourth warning sign is confusion with time or place, where people with the disease lose track of dates, seasons and the passage of time. At times, they may even forget where they are or how they got there. A person who sometimes gets confused about the day of the week but eventually figures it out is just displaying a sign of normal aging, according to Boudreau.
Having visual problems is another sign of Alzheimer’s. A patient, for example, may have difficulty reading, judging distance and determining color and contrast.
“In serious cases, you’ll see a person living with Alzheimer’s might pass a mirror and not recognize their own reflection,” Boudreau said.
What shouldn’t be considered a red flag are vision changes related to cataracts.
People with Alzheimer’s may have trouble following a conversation, where they repeat themselves or stop in the middle of a conversation and not know how to pick it up again. An individual who is aging, on the other hand, will sometimes struggle to find the right word.
Alzheimer’s patients misplace things and lose the ability to retrace their steps, whereas misplacing a pair of glasses or the remote control from time to time is a sign of normal aging.
Another warning sign is decreased or poor judgment when it comes to dealing with money, for example, and risking falling prey to telemarketers or financial scammers. But making bad decisions once in awhile is not something to worry about.
Withdrawal from work or social activities is another red flag and indicator of Alzheimer’s. Such persons may remove themselves from hobbies, social activities or sports they once enjoyed or from being social altogether.
“They’re not keeping up with their bingo or their book club, or they just lose the desire to go out and do their normal activities,” said Boudreau.
Feeling weary of work, family and social obligations, on the other hand, is normal.
Finally, it’s important to watch out for changes in mood or personality, which can alter when someone develops the disease. Feelings of confusion, suspicion, depression, fear and anxiety are common. Becoming irritable due to the interruption of a routine, however, is a sign of normal aging.
The Alzheimer’s Association is based in San Jose with offices throughout Northern California and Northern Nevada. The organization contributes to research that seeks to eliminate the disease while providing care and support for patients and promoting brain health to reduce the risk of dementia.
For more information about the work they do, visit alz.org.
Anyone with concerns about their own or a family member’s cognitive health is encouraged to call the Alzheimer’s Association 24-hour helpline at 800.272.3900.
“Don’t worry about what kind of dementia your loved one may or may not have,” said Boudreau. “All [you] need to know is there’s support and guidance.”
Link: Is it Alzheimer’s or just normal aging? Group has 10 signs to look for
