Tag: dementia

Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month

Worldwide, 55 million people are living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative brain disease and the most common form of dementia. Dementia is not a specific disease. It is an overall term that describes a group of symptoms.  Alzheimer’s is a brain disease that causes a slow decline in memory, thinking and reasoning skills. There are 10 warning signs and symptoms. If you notice any of them, don’t ignore them.  Schedule an appointment with your doctor.

  • Memory loss that disrupts daily life
  • Challenges in planning or solving problems
  • Difficulty completing familiar tasks
  • Confusion with time or place
  • Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships
  • New problems with words in speaking or writing
  • Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps
  • Decreased or poor judgement
  • Withdrawal from work or social activities
  • Changes in mood and personality

 

Signs of Alzheimer’s and Dementia may be poor judgment and decision-making, inability to manage a budget, losing track of the date or the season, difficulty having a conversation, or misplacing things and being unable to retrace steps to find them. These signs differ from typical age-related changes such as making a bad decision once in a while, missing a monthly payment, forgetting which day it is and remembering it later, sometimes forgetting which word to use, or losing things from time to time.

By: Brenda Langdon