World Alzheimer’s Month

We all misplace things once in a while. When should we be concerned that misplacing items may be a sign of a bigger issue like Alzheimer’s disease or dementia? Here are 10 warning signs and symptoms. If you notice any of them, it’s important not to ignore them, but instead to schedule an appointment with your doctor.

  1. Memory Loss that disrupts daily life – forgetting recently learned information or forgetting important dates and events or asking for the same information over and over again.
  2. Challenges in planning or problem solving – a decreasing ability to develop or follow a plan or work with numbers, and/or taking longer to do things than normal.
  3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or leisure – trouble driving to a familiar location, managing a budget at work or remembering the rules to a favorite game.
  4. Confusion with time or place – losing track of dates, seasons and passage of time, or forgetting where you are or how you got there.
  5. Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships – difficulty reading, judging distance, determining color or contrast. Problems driving.
  6. New problems with words in speaking or writing – stopping in a conversation with no idea how to continue, calling things the wrong name, problems finding the right word.
  7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps – unable to find lost objects, you may put things in unusual places, accuse people of stealing.
  8. Decreased or poor judgement – less attention to grooming or keeping yourself clean. Poor judgement when dealing with money.
  9. Withdrawal from work and social activity – removing yourself from hobbies, social activities, work projects or sports.
  10. Changes in mood or personality – feelings of confusion, suspicion, fearfulness, anxiousness or depression.

If you recognized yourself or a loved one in these signs and symptoms, please contact your doctor. Guadalupe Regional Medical Center offers world-class neurology. Our board-certified neurologist, Andrew Cichowski, MD, is expertly trained  to take care of the neurology needs of our community, including Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. For more information or to make an appointment with Dr. Cichowski, please call 830.484.4600.

 

Source: Alzheimer’s Association/ www.alz.org