What was I thinking? Early signs of Alzheimers

From time to time we are all liable to forget a thing or two so how are we supposed to know the difference between that and the beginning of something more serious? As the 6th leading cause of death in the United States there is, unfortunately, a good chance that either you or a loved one will be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. I sat down with Laurie Kriss, RN Clinical Supervisor for Nurses & Company Home Health to talk about Alzheimer’s and what the early warning signs are. Laurie has been running an Alzheimer’s Support Group for Caregivers for over 10 years.

Here are a few early signs of Alzheimer’s disease. Most of them are noticed by family or friends. People who suffer from the disease often know something is not right, but have no idea what the problem is.

· People who forget important dates, appointments & recently learned information to the point where it is impacting their lives. I.E. Forgetting to meet people for lunch & then saying that they never knew about it.

· Failure to follow through on multiple step plans or work with numbers. I.E. Don’t understand checkbook entries, can’t follow recipes

· Difficulty remembering familiar tasks I.E. getting lost when driving in local area, forgetting the rules to favorite card game

· Loosing track of time I.E. can’t remember how they arrived to place, loosing track of passage of seasons

· Problems with reading or speaking I.E. starting conversation & not knowing how to continue, calling items by strange names, trouble recalling words, trouble following stories in books or magazines.

· Decreased or poor judgment  I.E. giving away money to telemarketers, going out at very early or late hours

· Changes in mood & personality I.E. irritable, anxious, mean, suspicious

· Withdrawal from social activities I.E. not returning phone calls, withdraw from card games, lunches, etc

Alzheimer’s is a very personal disease it’s symptoms and progression are as different as each person it affects. If you think you or your loved one may be in the early stages see a Nuerologist or a Geriatrician to get a baseline and discuss options for care.

If you find yourself caring for some one with Alzheimer’s make sure you reach out for help. Laurie’s Support Group is held  7:00pm the second Thursday of each month in Nurses & Company’s boardroom (115 Piper Hill Drive Suite 200 St. Peters, MO). Seniors & Company offers loved one care during the meetings please call 48 hours in advance to schedule care (636-926-2121).

We may grow older every year but age is only a number. Let’s live fully, laugh a-lot, and continually learn so that together we can age with grace.
Ann Byrum Ritter, RN ARitter@nursesandco.com Facebook.com/NursesandCo http://www.nursesandco.com
636.926.3722