Alzheimer's Foundation has gathered 10 symptoms that may indicate a possibility of suffering the disease.
Early Signals
- Disorientation of time and place (difficulty to remember date and place where one is).
- Loss of recent memory (can not remember what they just finished doing or saying, not remembering where they keep things).
- Difficulty to recognize and use objects of daily use (they confuse salt with sugar; does not know how to use utensils common at the table or in the bath).
- Problems with language (difficulties remembering the name of objects or how to express themselves with fluidity).
- Incapacity to interpret the surroundings (does not understand what is happening, difficulty solving daily problems).
- Difficulty maintaining attention.
- Limitations to carrying out mental tasks of calculation (to add, to subtract, etc).
- Sudden changes in humor or behavior.
- Changes in personality (irritability, depression, anxiety, hyperactivity).
- Loss of initiative (progressive, lacking apathy or interest).
Alzheimer's not only affects the patient, it affects the entire family.
Initially, the people affected by Alzheimer's are taken care of in their homes. The family must care for the patient and be able to understand each advancing stage of the disease. The degree of dependency of the affected one increases as the disease evolves. A single person cannot assume the care of the patient. Therefore, the family must decide how to handle the disease through different aspects: Social, medical and economical.
Alzheimer's is a multi-faceted disease that affects the mental, physical, emotional, social and functional of the brain. The patient will require round the clock attention, therefore requiring a multidisciplinary healthcare team, including neurology, neuropsychology, geriatrics, psychiatry, audiology, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy.
