EP 164: Warning Signs of Alzheimer's Disease

This Is Getting Old Podcast with Melissa B PhD

Watch out for warning signs of Alzheimer's when talking to someone you love or even your own self.

—Melissa Batchelor, PhD, RN, FNP, FGSA, FAAN

Are you or a loved one worried about memory issues? If you answer yes to 1 or more of these warning signs, please make an appointment with your local provider to get your memory checked out.

It's a good idea to keep a journal about any symptoms you are seeing with dates and descriptions of events.

Many of these memory signs could be due to some other problem (like an infection or low vitamin B12), so before you assume it’s Alzheimer’s disease, get into a trust healthcare provider and make sure it’s not something that’s reversible!

Learn the ▶️ 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer's Disease

1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life.

• Warning Sign: Forgetting important dates, repetitive, need more memory aids than before.

• Normal aging: Sometimes forgetting names or appointments but remembering them later.

2. Challenges in planning or solving problems.

• Warning Sign: Trouble following a familiar recipe or keeping track of paying monthly bills.

• Normal aging: Making occasional error balancing a checkbook.

3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or play.

• Warning Sign: Trouble organizing a shopping list or trouble driving to a familiar place.

• Normal aging: Occasionally needing help to use the settings on a microwave or to record a television show.

4. Confusion with time or place.

• Warning Sign: Forget where you are or how you got there.

• Normal aging: Getting confused about the day of the week but figuring it out later.

5. Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships.

• Warning Sign: Trouble judging distance.

• Normal Aging: Vision changes related to cataracts, glaucoma, or age-related macular degeneration.

6. New problems with words in speaking or writing.

• Warning Sign: Trouble following conversation or forgets where they are in a story.

• Normal aging: Sometimes having trouble finding the right word.

7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps.

• Warning Sign: Put things in usual places, accuse others of stealing.

• Normal aging: Misplacing things from time to time and retracing steps to find them.

8. Decreased or poor judgment.

• Warning Sign: Less attention to grooming; giving away large amounts of money.

• Normal aging: Making bad decisions once in a while.

9. Withdrawal from work or social activities.

• Warning Signs: Starts to remove themselves from activities, social activities, or hobbies.

• Normal aging: Sometimes feeling weary of work, friends, and social obligations.

10. Changes in mood or personality.

• Warning Sign: Confused, suspicious, depressed, fearful, or anxious. Upset when out of their comfort zone.

• Normal aging: Developing very specific ways to doing things, and become irritable when routine is disrupted.

To get your free download of the 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer's Disease, visit https://melissabphd.com/10warningsigns/

And don’t forget to join my new community on Facebook called This is Getting Old: Moving Towards an Age-Friendly World where I’m able to connect with you in a more interactive way. I hope to see you there!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/249685261464834

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About MelissaBPhD

Melissa Batchelor, PhD, RN, FNP, FGSA, FAAN. I am a nurse, nurse practitioner, nurse educator and nurse researcher with over 25 years of experience in the aging and long-term care healthcare space. You can visit my website at MelissaBPhD.com to learn more about me, how you can work with me directly, and/or support future episodes of the podcast. Within the first 18 months of launching this podcast, we reached a ranking of top 10% globally. I have all of you who’ve been with me on this journey so far to thank for that!

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