What are the symptoms of Alzheimers disease?
Symptoms vary widely; however, the first sign of the disease is most often forgetfulness that begins to affect an individual’s daily routine. Other warning signs include: difficulty performing familiar tasks like cooking; problems with language; disorientation to time and place; poor or decreased judgment, misplacing things; and changes in mood or behavior. There also can be changes in personality and loss of initiative, such as no longer being interested in previous hobbies or activities. Another common symptom is reduced capacity to grasp ideas that do not relate to an individual’s personal experiences.
Alzheimer’s disease begins slowly. At first, the only symptom may be mild forgetfulness, which can be confused with age-related memory change. Most people with mild forgetfulness do not have Alzheimer’s disease. In the early stage of Alzheimer’s disease, people may have trouble remembering recent events, activities, or the names of familiar people or things. They may not be able to solve simple math problems. Such difficulties may be a bother, but usually they are not serious enough to cause alarm. However, as the disease goes on, symptoms are more easily noticed and become serious enough to cause people with Alzheimer’s disease or their family members to seek medical help. Forgetfulness begins to interfere with daily activities. People in the middle stages of Alzheimer’s disease may forget how to do simple tasks like brushing their teeth or combing their hair. They can no longer think clearly. They can fail to recognize familiar people and places. They begin to have problems speaking,
