Early Stage of Alzheimer’s: More Than Just Forgetting
Many times, Alzheimer’s disease goes undiagnosed
until it gets to more advanced stages because of the early stage of Alzheimer’s
may mimic simple signs of old age.
Many families that take care of older loved ones have
missed the signs of Alzheimer’s disease and thought that they were just signs
of getting older.
Since the symptoms during the early stage of
Alzheimer’s disease is very mild, it can be difficult to know when old age is
causing a problem or when Alzheimer’s.
The most important thing a relative can do is have
her or his loved one seen by a doctor when the first little signs start to
appear.
At first, during the early stage of Alzheimer’s it
may just seem like a person is having mental lapses and forgetting things which can be a sign of getting older but, with many people, these signs may be more than
just forgetting.
Often, the simple times of forgetting something may
be pointing to a more serious problem.
It is important that caregivers and family members
learn how to differentiate between simple forgetfulness and problems that may
point to the early stage of Alzheimer’s disease.
Usually, a person that is merely growing older may
forget simple things, but will remember them again later.
If your loved one has a problem forgetting things for
many days or forgetting whole portions of his or her life it may be time to get
concerned.
Usually, the early stage of Alzheimer’s disease will
have forgetfulness combined with disorientation on the part of the patient.
You may also see the personality of the person change
and he or she may be more prone to outbursts as well.
All of these symptoms together should clue you in
that this is more than just an incident of forgetfulness.
If you can catch patients when they are in the early
stage of Alzheimer’s disease, it can make it easier to treat.
Not only will treatment be easier, but you can put
your mind to rest, knowing what the problem really is.
New treatments are being developed and the earlier
that the disease is discovered, the better the chance is of keeping the
progression of the disease at bay.
If your loved one is starting to forget things and
has other symptoms, as well, be sure that she or he is checked out as soon as
possible because it may be more than a lapse of memory.
Keywords: Alzheimer's disease | Disease