Cognitive problems are one of the first things that people who have Alzheimer’s disease notice. It is quite common for people who are close to the person who has the disease to notice these problems first.
But along with memory loss, Alzheimer’s patients lose the regular thinking abilities we all take for granted. These cognitive problems include difficulty in learning anything new and communication with others, and a disruption in reasoning skills.
Of all the cognitive problems, memory loss is the symptom that usually shows up first.
Short-term memory is the first to go and manifests itself, for example, in forgetting where something was laid, forgetting appointments, or other tasks that involve short-term memory. Some short-term memory loss is normal. We all forget where we put our keys or the name of someone we just met, on occasion, but when these lapses become more common or more severe in nature, then it is time to have them checked out by a health professional.
Patients with Alzheimer’s often fill in the missing parts of their memory with what they think should be there. This technique, called confabulation, can work to mask the disease for a while, but eventually people close to the person with Alzheimer’s realize that they don’t remember and are making up a lot of what they are saying.
People with Alzheimer’s can forget important things like putting food on the stove and only be reminded when the house fills with smoke.
As the disease progresses, longer-term memories are lost, eventually leading to inability to recognize even loved ones.
Alzheimer’s patients often have difficulties with language. This manifests itself in a number of areas.
Alzheimer’s sufferers often have difficulty finding the right word. When asked, they typically say that the word is right on the “tip of their tongue,” but they can not remember it. This can happen with some quite simple words such as house, dog, flower, or others.
Alzheimer’s patients will also use the wrong word or substitute more simplistic words for more complex words.
They can often use a combination of words to take the place of a word. For example, they might say “the tool that cuts the lawn,” instead of calling it a lawnmower.
Alzheimer’s patients often have difficulties with language. This manifests itself in a number of areas.
Alzheimer’s sufferers often have difficulty finding the right word. When asked, they typically say that the word is right on the “tip of their tongue,” but they can not remember it. This can happen with some quite simple words such as house, dog, flower, or others.
Alzheimer’s patients will also use the wrong word or substitute more simplistic words for more complex words.
They can often use a combination of words to take the place of a word. For example, they might say “the tool that cuts the lawn,” instead of calling it a lawnmower.
Disorientation is very common in Alzheimer’s disease, but tends to occur later in the disease.
The disorientation includes not being able to remember their way home, even after they were the one who drove the car to their destination. If this happens, it may cause a lot a fear and can lead to some very uncomfortable situations.
Late-stage Alzheimer’s patients will have difficulty knowing where they are, what day of the week, or even what year they are in.
At later stages of the disease, patients start to lose the ability to perform daily tasks. This includes anything from buttoning shirts and tying shoes, to brushing hair and teeth. Eventually they lose the ability to bathe and use a toilet. Very late stages include losing the ability to walk and use their hands.
There is a shift that happens sometime late in Alzheimer’s disease. While most parts of the disease are difficult to handle for the caregiver, these late stages often severely stretch the ability of family and friends to care for the individual.
- Many people with Alzheimer’s experience severe insomnia and have odd sleeping and waking habits.
- Very severe mental changes including hallucinations, delusions and paranoia often strike.
- As the disease begins to affect the whole brain, people lose the ability to walk, use their hands. They may become incontinent, unable to swallow, eat, or even speak.
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