Understanding Alzheimer’s and Dementia

June is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, a time to learn more about Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. These conditions affect many people and their families, so it’s important to recognize the early signs.

What is Alzheimer’s Disease?

Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills. It eventually affects the ability to carry out simple tasks. People with Alzheimer’s may not remember recent events, recognize familiar faces, or find the right words to express their thoughts.

What is Dementia? Dementia is a general term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life. Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia. Other types of dementia include vascular dementia, Lewy body dementia, and frontotemporal dementia.

The 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s and Dementia 

1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life: Forgetting important dates or events, asking for the same information over and over, or relying heavily on memory aids.
2. Challenges in planning or solving problems: Trouble following a familiar recipe, keeping track of monthly bills, or working with numbers.
3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks: Trouble driving to a familiar location, managing a budget at work, or remembering the rules of a favorite game.
4. Confusion with time or place: Losing track of dates, seasons, and the passage of time. Sometimes they may forget where they are or how they got there.
5. Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships: Difficulty reading, judging distance, and determining color or contrast, which may cause problems with driving.
6. New problems with words in speaking or writing: Struggling to follow or join a conversation, stopping in the middle of a sentence, or repeating themselves.
7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps: Putting things in unusual places, losing things, and being unable to go back over their steps to find them again.
8. Decreased or poor judgment: Experiencing changes in judgment or decision-making, like giving large amounts of money to telemarketers or paying less attention to grooming or keeping clean.
9. Withdrawal from work or social activities: Removing themselves from hobbies, social activities, work projects, or sports. They may have trouble keeping up with a favorite team or remembering how to complete a favorite hobby.
10. Changes in mood and personality: Becoming confused, suspicious, depressed, fearful, or anxious. They may be easily upset at home, at work, with friends, or in places where they are out of their comfort zone.

 Why Awareness Matters

Knowing these signs can help you recognize if you or someone you know might be showing early symptoms of Alzheimer’s or another type of dementia. Early diagnosis can lead to better planning and treatment. If you notice any of these signs, it’s important to talk to a doctor. Remember, early detection makes a difference.

During Alzheimer’s Awareness Month, let’s spread the word and support those affected by these challenging conditions.