Alzheimer’s Disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that affects many people nowadays. It slowly erodes memory and cognitive abilities, eventually stealing the capacity to carry out the simplest tasks.
This is now considered the most common form of dementia that affects memory, thinking, and behavior. Globally, an estimated 50 million people grapple with Alzheimer’s, a number expected to rise as lifespans increase. Dr Julian Sargon-Ungar will discuss some common symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s Disease.
Memory Loss Disrupting Daily Life
One of the earliest, and most recognized, symptoms of Alzheimer’s is memory loss. This is true, particularly when forgetting newly learned information. Everyone forgets occasionally, but Alzheimer’s-related memory loss consistently worsens over time.
A person with Alzheimer’s can include forgetting important events or dates or repeatedly asking for the same information. He or she may increasingly need to rely on memory aids or family for things the person could handle on their own before.
Challenges in Planning and Problem-Solving
Some people with Alzheimer’s find it hard to follow a plan, work with numbers, follow a recipe, or keep track of monthly bills. Concentration becomes difficult, tasks take much longer to complete, and multitasking, previously achieved effortlessly, seems near impossible.
Difficulty in Completing Familiar Tasks
People with Alzheimer’s often find it challenging to perform common routine tasks they have performed for years. These include tasks such as driving to a familiar location, managing a budget at work, or even remembering the rules of a favorite game.
Time and Place Confusion
People with Alzheimer’s Disease can easily lose track of most dates, seasons, and times. Situations outside the ordinary may add to this confusion. At times, Dr Julian Sargon-Ungar states that they might forget where they are or how they got there, a distressing experience for both them and their loved ones.
Trouble Understanding Visual Images and Spatial Relationships
Some people with Alzheimer’s may experience vision problems, making it difficult to read, determine color or contrast, or judge distances, posing problems while driving. This is not a common eye problem like cataracts but a brain processing failure.
Problems With Speaking Or Writing
Another symptom of Alzheimer’s is struggling with vocabulary, having difficulty conversing or stopping mid-conversation with no idea how to continue. Writing becomes a challenge too, as they often forget how to spell or structure sentences correctly.
Misplacing Things Used And Inability To Retrace One’s Steps
People with Alzheimer’s Disease can put things in unusual places, forgetting where they’ve put them and being unable to retrace their steps to find them again. As Alzheimer’s progresses, this behavior may become more frequent, and accusations of theft may arise due to frustration
Social Withdrawal
As Alzheimer’s Disease progresses, people may start to withdraw from certain hobbies, social activities, work projects, or sports they once loved. The reason could be anything from frustration at keeping up with the activity to forgetting how to perform it.
Mood and Personality Changes
And lastly, sudden and obvious personality change is one alarming symptom of Alzheimer’s. Patients can become confused, suspicious, depressed, anxious, or fearful. They could get easily upset when they are out of their comfort zone or when their routine is disrupted.
