How to Spot the 10 Early Symptoms of Alzheimer’s

It can be deeply upsetting when a loved one begins to show the early symptoms of Alzheimer’s. Whilst there are many support services that can help you to manage the situation, it is important to be able to spot Alzheimer’s symptoms early so that you can get the help you need.

10 Common Symptoms of Alzheimer’s

Someone with symptoms of Alzheimer’s will begin to show a slow decline in memory, thinking and reasoning skills. We’ve compiled the 10 most common warning signs and early symptoms of Alzheimer’s. If you notice any of them, don’t ignore them, make an appointment with your GP.

1. Subtle Memory Loss

The symptom of Alzheimer’s disease that most people are aware of is forgetfulness. Changes to memory in the early stages are often subtle and tend to involve short-term memory. An older person with early Alzheimer’s may be able to remember events that took place years ago, but not what they had for breakfast. Other forgetfulness might include:-

• Forgetting important dates or events
• Struggling to remember why they entered a particular room,
• Repeating the same questions
• Repeating daily tasks, such as shaving, or collecting items obsessively

2. Planning and Problem Solving

A symptom of Alzheimer’s that is often overlooked is the ability to follow a plan. This might be as simple as being able to follow a familiar recipe, or keeping track of bills. People showing the initial symptoms of Alzheimer’s usually have difficulty concentrating and take much longer to do things than they did before.

3. Difficulty Completing Familiar Tasks

A loved one showing the signs of early onset Alzheimer’s will often find it hard to complete routine daily tasks. This might mean anything from, driving to a familiar location, to forgetting the rules of a game or sport etc. They may also struggle to learn how to do new things or follow new routines, as well as following directions or step-by-step instructions. 

4. Confusion over Time, Location and sense of Direction

People with Alzheimer’s can lose track of the passage of time, this is because they can have trouble understanding something if it is not happening immediately. Sometimes they may forget where they are or how they got there. This includes a loss of a sense of direction and spatial orientation, so that once-familiar landmarks regularly used directions are not recognised.

5. Visual problems

This includes a difficulty to comprehend pictures, visual images and spatial relationships. Your loved one may have difficulty reading, judging distance and determining colour or contrast, which may cause problems with driving

6. Difficulty Finding the Right Words

Many people with Alzheimer’s struggle to communicate thoughts. They can have difficulty explaining something or finding the right words to express themselves, as well as trouble following or joining a conversation.

Trying to have a conversation with a loved one in the early stages of Alzheimer’s can be difficult, and it may take longer than usual. They may stop in the middle of a conversation and have no idea how to continue or they may repeat themselves. They may also struggle with vocabulary and have problems finding the right word, calling things by the wrong name.

7. Losing Items

We can all put things in the wrong place when we aren’t concentrating, but a person with Alzheimer’s disease will regularly put things in unusual places, lose or misplace items and also be unable to go back over their steps to find them again. Sometimes, as symptoms get acuter, they may accuse others of stealing.

8. Confusion and Poor Judgement

When memory, thinking, or judgment lapses, confusion may arise as your loved one can no longer remember faces, find the right words, or interact with people normally.

People with Alzheimer’s often experience changes in their judgment or decision-making. For example, they are often at risk to telemarketing scams or unscrupulous salespeople.

9. Apathy

A person with Alzheimer’s may start to pay less attention to grooming or keeping themselves clean. They will remove themselves from hobbies, social activities, work projects or sports. A sad symptom is that a loved one may start avoiding going out completely, losing interest in spending time with friends and family.

10. Changes in mood and personality

One of the most difficult symptoms for a loved one to come to terms with are the rapid mood and personalities changes people with Alzheimer’s can go through.

They can become confused, suspicious, depressed, fearful or anxious.  They can also easily become upset with friends or family as well as showing uncharacteristic rages. Depression can also be typical in the early stages of Alzheimer’s.

Get the Support You Need

There are many other signs that begin to affect someone with Alzheimer’s later on including movement, balance, and motor neural issues. But in the early stages, a person living with dementia may show very few physical signs at all.

However, there are many forms of dementia, so if you or your loved one is experiencing memory problems, don’t immediately conclude that it’s Alzheimer’s. But do seek the professional help of a GP and consider the professional support of a carer who can help ease the anxieties your loved one is experiencing.

To find out more about how we help those living with Alzheimer’s click here.