10 early warning signs of Alzheimer's disease

Normal ageing and early Alzheimer's look alike from a distance. What follows is the ten signs worth taking seriously, each paired with the ordinary change people mistake them for.

Before you read the list

One sign, once, is not a diagnosis. A pattern that is getting worse is worth acting on.
The question is not “did they forget something?” It is “is this different from how they have always been, and is it affecting daily life?”
Getting checked early is worth it even when the news is bad: it rules out treatable causes and buys time to make decisions while the person can still take part in them.

1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life

Forgetting recently learned information, important dates, or events; asking the same question repeatedly; leaning increasingly on notes and reminders for things they used to hold in their head.

Ordinary ageing: forgetting a name or an appointment and remembering it later.

2. Trouble planning or solving problems

Difficulty following a familiar recipe, keeping track of monthly bills, or working with numbers. Things take much longer than they used to.

Ordinary ageing: the occasional error in the chequebook.

3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks

Struggling with something done a thousand times — driving to a familiar place, running a household appliance, managing the rules of a game they have played for years.

Ordinary ageing: needing help with the settings on a new television.

4. Confusion with time or place

Losing track of dates and seasons; difficulty grasping something that is not happening right now; forgetting where they are or how they got there.

Ordinary ageing: muddling the day of the week and working it out shortly after.

5. Trouble with visual images and spatial relationships

Difficulty judging distance, reading, or distinguishing colour and contrast — which can cause driving problems and falls. Some people no longer recognise their own reflection.

Ordinary ageing: vision changes from cataracts or similar eye conditions.

6. New problems with words, spoken or written

Losing the thread mid-conversation, repeating themselves, or stopping because they cannot find a word and substituting a description — “the thing you tell the time with”.

Ordinary ageing: occasionally hunting for the right word.

7. Misplacing things and being unable to retrace steps

Putting things in unusual places, and — the important part — not being able to work backwards to find them. Sometimes accusing others of stealing, which can become more frequent over time.

Ordinary ageing: mislaying the reading glasses and systematically working out where they were last.

8. Decreased or poor judgment

Changes in decision-making, particularly with money — large sums given to telemarketers or scams. Less attention paid to grooming and cleanliness.

Ordinary ageing: one bad decision, occasionally, like anyone.

9. Withdrawal from work or social activities

Dropping hobbies, projects, sports, or social plans they used to care about — often because keeping up with a conversation has become hard work and withdrawing is easier than being embarrassed.

Ordinary ageing: being tired of obligations and choosing to do less.

10. Changes in mood and personality

Becoming confused, suspicious, fearful, or anxious; upset easily when out of their comfort zone. A gentle person becoming sharp, or an outgoing one becoming withdrawn.

Ordinary ageing: having a settled way of doing things and being irritable when it is disrupted.

What to do if several of these are familiar

Write down what you have seen, with rough dates and examples. Specifics — “she has asked me the same question about the neighbour four times this week” — are far more useful to a doctor than “her memory is bad”.

Then get an appointment with their regular doctor. Ask for a cognitive assessment. Bring every medication and supplement, including the ones bought over the counter.

Expect resistance, and do not take it personally. Many people with dementia genuinely do not perceive the changes — reduced awareness of one’s own condition is part of the illness, not stubbornness. Framing it around something concrete (“let’s get your blood checked while we’re there”) usually goes better than insisting.

Do it now rather than after the next incident. Some causes of these symptoms are treatable — see the difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia for the ones worth ruling out. And if it is dementia, an early diagnosis means legal and financial decisions can be made while the person can still make them, which is a kindness to everybody involved.

Talk it through with someone who does this every day.

If you are working out what your family needs, call us. No obligation, and we will tell you plainly if we are not the right fit — including if what you actually need is skilled nursing.

Call (702) 805-5567