|  | Family Health | Seniors Health

Alzhiemer's Symptoms

In an aging person, seemingly benign occurrences like forgetting the car keys can be symptomatic of something more serious. Alzheimer's is a neurological disease that affects over 5 million people in America, according to the National Institute on Aging. Identified in 1906, the physiological hallmarks of the disease include neurological plaques and clusters of tangled nerves. While Alzheimer's can affect patients as young as 30 years old, most sufferers begin developing symptoms after 60 years of age.

  1. Lack of Recognition

    • In the early stages of Alzheimer's, a patient often exhibits seemingly normal delays in cognition and recognition, such as forgetting which grandchild just had a birthday. As the disease advances, the patient may struggle to recognize her spouse and children as her relatives. She may also apply long-term memories to current relationships, insisting that her son is her deceased husband or giving a childhood address instead of her current residence.

    Mood and Personality Changes

    • Key components of personality can change as Alzheimer's increasingly compromises the patient's mental state. Frustration and declined impulse control can cause patients to behave rudely or make abrupt, angry comments towards caregivers. Lashing out and accusatory statements, such as accusing an adult child of stealing food or money, can become the norm during the moderate stages. In the most advanced stages of the disease, these mood swings can occur quickly, and patients may become violent toward loved ones and caregivers.

    Neglect of Daily Living Skills

    • An Alzheimer's sufferer often begins to neglect independent living skills in the early stages of the disease. Financial management becomes increasingly difficult as a patient forgets which bills to pay or makes multiple payments on the same account within a short period. As the brain deteriorates, she may neglect self-care measures like brushing her teeth, combing her hair or taking medication. In the advanced stages, the most basic of living skills -- like getting dressed, using the bathroom, eating and drinking -- require reminders or assistance.

    Lack of Direction

    • As nerve clusters tangle, pockets of stored memories disassociate from one another, causing a patient to lose his sense of time and direction. He may, for example, say he's driving to the grocery store but end up at the doctor's office instead. In the later stages, the urge to wander becomes increasingly strong as visual scenes and locations blend together and lose their significance. The patient may take a walk and forget his location and purpose halfway around the block.

Seniors Health - Related Articles