A few years later, I flew home after my dad had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), an umbrella term for up to 80 percent of dementia cases in American adults. I was shocked by his appearance. His muscles had wasted away, his hair and nails were long and unkempt, and this once clean-shaven man had days of stubble. He slept most of the time.
When we got him out of bed, we cleaned him up, changed his adult diaper, tried to get him to swallow his medications and gave him tissues when he insisted on spitting on the carpet when his sinuses dripped, which was often. One dinner conversation consisted of my dad recalling one of his fellow WWII buddies tying a snake to a light cord, surprising all who turned on the light that night. It was funny the first time but he repeated it, almost verbatim, another four times back-to-back. Alzheimer’s had changed my dad forever.
What is Alzheimer’s disease?
Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia that causes problems with memory, decision-making, thinking and behavior. Contrary to popular belief, AD is not part of the normal aging process. The condition becomes more common among people as they age, but “it isn’t an inevitable part of aging,” says Dr. George Perry. He's a neuroscientist and a member of the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America.
According to studies, Alzheimer’s is the result of a degraded state of coordination between brain cells. The first affected centers are those responsible for memory. There is no cure for Alzheimer’s, but there are treatments available to slow the progression of symptoms. These medications can improve the quality of life for both the person with AD and the caregiver.
Five Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s
Memory loss -- A very common, early sign of the disease is memory loss that results in disruption of daily life. The person with AD may forget newly learned information, then remember it later. Placement of items in odd places is also common, as is the loss of the ability to backtrack to try to locate lost items. You may find keys in the refrigerator, for example. There also may be difficulty in finishing everyday things such as a conversation or a familiar task such as driving to the store. This symptom becomes more pronounced as the disease progresses. Also people with AD may lose track of dates, seasons and the passage of time.
Decreased or Poor Judgment – Alzheimer’s sufferers often have difficulty concentrating, resulting in longer times to do everyday tasks. There are often challenges as a person with AD deals with changes in his or her own ability to devise and complete plans, though these plans may be very important. Numbers can be especially confusing for a person, as can the ability to handle money. We’ve all heard of stories of the elderly getting bilked out of thousands of dollars by unscrupulous rip-off artists. Personal hygiene may suffer as the disease progresses. The person may not realize or care that he or she hasn’t changed clothes in days or that he or she has forgotten how to brush teeth.
Trouble with both words and understanding spatial relationships -- Everyone has problems retrieving words that are “right on the tip of my tongue.” Amplify this by hundreds of times a day, and you begin to understand the frustration Alzheimer’s sufferers feel to identify or say something. At times, someone with AD may be in the middle of a discussion and realize that he or she doesn’t remember what the conversation was about. To the sufferer's chagrin, this could happen mid-sentence.
For some, vision problems signal the onset of Alzheimer’s. These symptoms include difficulty reading or judging distances and the inability to detect colors. Perception can be skewed as the person with AD may pass a mirror and not recognize him- or herself. Instead, he or she may think there is someone else in the room.
Withdrawal from work or social activities –The person with AD may be uninterested in activities he or she once found pleasurable such as hobbies, work projects, social activities and sports. There may be a genuine lack of interest, something the person may or may not be aware of.
The Alzheimer’s sufferer may shy away from social situations and have problems joining or following conversations. "We all forget the exact details of a conversation or what someone told us to do, but a person with AD will forget what just happened, what someone just said, or what he or she just said and therefore repeat things over and over again," says Lisa P. Gwyther, co-author of The Alzheimer's Action Plan: A Family Guide. He may express weariness of work, family or social obligations.
Changes in mood or personality – In this category, there’s a laundry list of possible AD-related symptoms. Forty percent of Alzheimer’s patients suffer from depression. Changes also include: confusion, anxiety, suspicion of strangers and family alike, fearfulness, mood swings, delusions, wandering, loss of inhibitions and disorientation. A person may get easily upset, especially in a new situation or place. This could be very stressful for the AD sufferer. Because of the need to control situations as much as possible, the person tends to develop very specific plans to do things and becomes irritated when these plans are not adhered to.
There are also two other personality-altering traits: “sundowning” and “shadowing.” Sundowning” is when a person with AD gets more restless, anxious, confused, agitated or disoriented as the day goes by. “Shadowing” occurs when the patient becomes increasingly needy and clingy towards a specific person, as a child would, over the course of the day.
Now that you know the warning signs of Alzheimer’s, early diagnosis offers the best opportunity for treatment, support and future planning. Don’t wait for symptoms to become so apparent as to become undeniable. Early intervention may result in symptom-slowing medications such as antidepressants, anxiolytics (meds to treat anxiety and restlessness) and anti-psychotic drugs. See your doctor if any of the above signs seem to be getting worse or you notice a combination of symptoms knocking about your brother, parent, grandparent, sister or child.