Alzheimer's is one of the most common degenerative diseases
in the elderly. It supposes a progressive loss of the cognitive functions of
the brain and affects aspects such as memory, language, orientation and
attention. Likewise, it also affects the emotional and behavioral capacities of
the patient, which prevents them, on many occasions, from carrying out the
daily activities of their day-to-day life.
The definitive diagnosis of Alzheimer's is not immediate and
is usually based on the observation of the elderly's behavior and a series of
interviews and questionnaires carried out by the neurologist to check if the
elderly person has the most common symptoms. For this reason, it is important
that the people in charge of caring for the elderly know how to detect the
first symptoms of Alzheimer's and thus be able to go to a specialist to start
with the usual patterns of the disease and help the elderly have the highest
possible quality of life .
Detecting these symptoms is not always easy and generally,
the first signs that alert family members are related to behavioral changes or
mild memory loss, such as the elderly forgetting a prescription that they used
to make regularly or not remembering to perform any of the tasks they normally
do. Knowing when these signs are related to Alzheimer's and going to a
specialist is difficult for family members. Therefore, as a nursing home owner
and expert in care for the elderly, Mark Berger from Chicago is going to give
you five signs that should watch.
MEMORY CHANGES THAT MAKE EVERYDAY LIFE HARD
Alzheimer's patients lose the ability to learn new things,
so it is normal for them to forget things they learned less time ago first,
such as dates, important events, or health issues such as taking medication.
It is also common for these patients to ask the same
questions over and over again, it is not because they do not understand the
answer, they simply forget that it has been answered. This in many occasions
hinders the normal behavior of the elderly and they feel frustrated.
DIFFICULTY IN PLANNING OR SOLVING PROBLEMS
The decline in the cognitive abilities of Alzheimer's
patients also affects problem solving and calculating with numbers, so it is
common for patients to start having problems managing their money.
Taking out too much, not remembering of withdrawing it,
losing it or hiding it and not finding it are some of the usual behaviors of
the elderly with Alzheimer's. According to Mark Berger Chicago, it is best that
some accompanies the elderly to the bank when we begin to identify these
behaviors.
DIFFICULTY TO PERFORM REGULAR TASKS AT HOME, AT WORK OR IN THEIR FREE TIME
Forgetting how the electrical appliances work, leaving the
fire burning or not remembering to go to the supermarket are also common
behaviors in Alzheimer's patients. Little by little, these patients will lose the
ability to do it alone, so they will need help to carry out daily tasks and
leave the house. As the CEO of Villa Healthcare, Mark Berger Chicago makes sure the care-giving stuff is trained in providing care, support and connection
throughout the course of the disease.
DESORIENTATION OF TIME OR PLACE
It is also very common for people with Alzheimer's not TO
remember what year they live in, what day of the week it is, or how old they
are. It is even normal that if we ask them about a current issue such as who is
the president, they answer the last one they remember and it is no longer the
current one for decades.
DIFFICULTY UNDERSTANDING VISUAL IMAGES
It is less common but it can happen that Alzheimer's
patients begin to have vision problems such as difficulty measuring distances,
differentiating colors or even reading. If the old man drives, it is best to
have his license withdrawn if he begins to have these problems.
