Top 10 Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease

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Senior women at home.

Innovative Senior Solutions shares the top 10 signs of Alzheimer’s disease.

Growing older naturally leads to a variety of changes that can be chalked up to normal aspects of aging: hair, skin, vision, and metabolism changes, for instance. It’s even normal to experience some degree of memory impairment in later years. Yet it can be hard to discern typical cognitive functioning changes and those that could point to dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

The Macon, GA home care team at Innovative Senior Solutions has compiled the following list of key indicators of Alzheimer’s disease to watch for in your senior loved ones:

  1. Problem-solving and planning: Tasks such as making a recipe, paying bills, or following a map become more difficult. The ability to concentrate decreases.
  2. Acclimation to time and place: Alzheimer’s-related changes include losing track of the passage of time, including confusion around the date, season, or location.
  3. Communication: Participating in conversations appropriately, whether verbally or in writing, becomes a challenge, either through repetition or forgetting common words.
  4. Judgment: Poor decision-making and judgment is common in Alzheimer’s disease. This can be displayed through poor hygiene, or by making radical or risky decisions with finances, for example.
  5. Socialization: Those with Alzheimer’s often withdraw from social situations and even previously-enjoyed hobbies and interests.
  6. Memory: As opposed to normal memory lapses, such as forgetting someone’s name or a medical appointment (but remembering later), those with Alzheimer’s experience increasing difficulty with short-term memory, and need to rely heavily on notes and reminders to keep appointments.
  7. Performing tasks: Simple tasks such as playing a familiar board or card game, driving to a familiar location, or other everyday activities becomes challenging.
  8. Visual/spatial relationships: While vision problems are common for older adults, Alzheimer’s-related changes include difficulty with colors and contrasts, reading, and determining distance.
  9. Retracing steps: Lost objects become a more frequent occurrence, with the items discovered later in unusual places (such as the keys placed in the refrigerator).
  10. Personality/mood: Changes in mood and personality are common in Alzheimer’s, including increased anxiety, confusion, fearfulness and a sense of uneasiness, particularly when in unfamiliar environments.

If you notice any of these changes in a senior loved one, it’s important to schedule an appointment with the doctor as soon as possible.

Innovative Senior Solutions can help as well, with highly skilled Alzheimer’s disease and dementia care that allows family members to take much-needed breaks from care while knowing their loved one is in the very best of hands.

To learn more about our Macon, GA home care solutions for seniors, contact our professional care staff any time via our online form or at 229-928-3673. We’re always on hand to answer any questions you may have, or to schedule a free in-home consultation to learn more about your particular challenges and to offer solutions to improve quality of life.

Caring for the Alzheimer’s Caregiver

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home care cordele ga Alzheimer's caregiver looking sad Alzheimer’s disease: hearing that diagnosis for a senior loved one can be life-changing for both the senior and his or her family. While the disease progresses uniquely for each individual, there are some commonalities, such as behavioral issues, that are difficult to manage and can cause family members an unprecedented level of stress.

As the disease progresses through the typical stages, here are some of the main concerns that are often experienced with each:

  • Mild Stage: Wandering, repetitive speech, slowness in completing tasks, problems with tasks such as managing money
  • Moderate Stage: More pronounced memory, language, and reasoning issues, confusion, difficulty recognizing familiar friends and family and completing multi-step tasks
  • Severe Stage: Loss of communication abilities, full dependence on others

So what does this mean for the family members providing dementia care? Sadly, caregiver stress is all too common when caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease, and effectively managing that stress to avoid burnout is crucial. These tips can help:

  • Seek out resources. Your local Alzheimer’s Association is a great resource for family’s struggling through the disease. Local senior centers, online and in-person support groups, family and friends can also help provide a network of support.
  • Set aside time for self-care. The best way to care for others is to make sure you’re caring for yourself. Taking time to exercise, engage in relaxing and enjoyable activities, and get plenty of sleep will help restore the patience and compassion needed to care for your loved one.
  • Partner with an expert. Finding a professional senior care company that specializes in Alzheimer’s and dementia care can help by providing safe, reliable respite care, including during the overnight hours, which can be especially difficult.

It’s important to keep in mind that no one can do it all alone. Guilt and other emotions may come into play that make it difficult to accept assistance, but for both the senior’s and your own wellbeing, reaching out to others can make all the difference in the world.

For more resources and for trusted, expert Alzheimer’s disease care, provided right in the comfort of your loved one’s home, or in one of adult day health centers or personal care home, contact Georgia’s top rated senior care team, Innovative Senior Solutions, at 866-928-3670. Whether it’s just a few hours a day of respite care, or full-time, around-the-clock dementia care, we’re the home care Cordele GA agency here with the individualized care to enhance quality of life for your senior loved one – whenever you need us.