Alzheimer’s and Dementia – It Can Happen To Your Family
Discovering that a family member has the first signs of dementia and Alzheimer’s will be difficult, but there are lots of resources you can use to make caring for that family member more productive. Your family member will still desire to be alone, and you’ll want to select a place that will give you what you need to help them thrive. Here are some vital facts about Alzheimer’s that will let you know if you need to find additional treatment.
Alzheimer’s and dementia are frequently linked together, since Alzheimer’s is an overall situation of lost memory, along with other symptoms like depression or lack of attention, and on the other hand dementia is the sweeping deterioration of a mind. At the start of Alzheimer’s, you will likely discover that your loved one can sometimes forget people’s names or frequently used words that are used during normal communications. If this occurs very rarely, don’t be concerned. However, if you notice that your family member is creating a made-up word to take the place of another word that’s slipped their mind, or if they’re becoming more and more withdrawn so they don’t mess up you could be seeing the preliminary stages of Alzheimer’s and dementia.
A lack of interest to do some things, or sometimes personality changes can be a sign of Alzheimer’s and dementia. If someone has dementia, completing normal tasks can be a challenge. This means chores like eating lunch, tying laces, and getting dressed in the morning may be completed less frequently as the condition gets worse. The brain slows down, and neurotransmitters do not do their job as often. If you find that your parent or grandparent has started to put things in strange places around the home, such as putting a check book in between sofa cushions, or find a toothbrush in the dishwasher, this could be a sign that it’s time to meet with the doctor.
As is progresses through the stages of Alzheimer’s and dementia, you might notice that it’s becoming impossible for your loved one to organize their feelings and thoughts, and it could be more difficult for him or her to recognize lifelong friends. Once you conference with your health care provider, you will be able to create a treatment plan to help to meet their needs. Typically that the majority of patients live around 10 years after the initial diagnosis, but some will live much longer.
To learn more about Alzheimer’s and dementia so that you can provide the right Alzheimer care, visit www.alz.org.