10 Behaviors to Watch for in Elders: Early Signs of Alzheimer's Disease
27 Apr 2023
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Elders should pay attention to these 10 behaviors as they may indicate Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) primarily manifests as cognitive decline, mental symptoms, and behavioral disturbances, resulting in a gradual decline in the ability to perform daily activities. The disease is divided into three stages based on the degree of deterioration of cognitive ability and physical function.
The first stage (1-3 years): Mild dementia is characterized by memory loss, prominent forgetting of recent events, decreased judgment ability, difficulty analyzing, thinking, and judging events, difficulty dealing with complex problems, inattentiveness in performing work or housework, difficulty in independently carrying out shopping, economic affairs, and social activities. Patients can still perform familiar daily tasks but may show confusion and incomprehension towards new things. They may also experience emotional indifference, occasional irritability, and often suspicion. Additionally, they may have difficulty orienting themselves in time, knowing their geographical location, and have poor visuospatial ability to identify complex structures. They may have a limited vocabulary and difficulty naming things.
The second stage (2-10 years): Moderate dementia is characterized by severe damage to near and far memory, decreased visual-spatial ability to identify simple structures, and orientation disorders in time and place. Patients also have difficulty dealing with problems and identifying similarities and differences in things. They require assistance to perform outdoor activities, dress, maintain personal hygiene, and personal appearance. Patients may also experience neurological symptoms such as aphasia, apraxia, and agnosia. Emotional changes may include apathy and restlessness, and they may walk around frequently. They may also experience urinary incontinence.
The third stage (8-12 years): Severe dementia is characterized by complete dependence on the caregiver, severe memory loss, and only fragments of memory remaining. Patients require assistance to perform daily activities, including hygiene and feeding. They may experience fecal incontinence, limb stiffness, and primitive reflexes such as strong grasping, groping, and sucking. Eventually, the patient may slip into a coma, and death may occur due to complications such as infection.
If your parents or relatives are over 55 years old, please pay attention to subtle changes in their behavior and consult a doctor if they exhibit any of the ten behaviors listed in the picture. Early detection and intervention can help prevent or alleviate degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, prolong the ability to perform daily activities, and preserve memories and relationships.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) primarily manifests as cognitive decline, mental symptoms, and behavioral disturbances, resulting in a gradual decline in the ability to perform daily activities. The disease is divided into three stages based on the degree of deterioration of cognitive ability and physical function.
The first stage (1-3 years): Mild dementia is characterized by memory loss, prominent forgetting of recent events, decreased judgment ability, difficulty analyzing, thinking, and judging events, difficulty dealing with complex problems, inattentiveness in performing work or housework, difficulty in independently carrying out shopping, economic affairs, and social activities. Patients can still perform familiar daily tasks but may show confusion and incomprehension towards new things. They may also experience emotional indifference, occasional irritability, and often suspicion. Additionally, they may have difficulty orienting themselves in time, knowing their geographical location, and have poor visuospatial ability to identify complex structures. They may have a limited vocabulary and difficulty naming things.
The second stage (2-10 years): Moderate dementia is characterized by severe damage to near and far memory, decreased visual-spatial ability to identify simple structures, and orientation disorders in time and place. Patients also have difficulty dealing with problems and identifying similarities and differences in things. They require assistance to perform outdoor activities, dress, maintain personal hygiene, and personal appearance. Patients may also experience neurological symptoms such as aphasia, apraxia, and agnosia. Emotional changes may include apathy and restlessness, and they may walk around frequently. They may also experience urinary incontinence.
The third stage (8-12 years): Severe dementia is characterized by complete dependence on the caregiver, severe memory loss, and only fragments of memory remaining. Patients require assistance to perform daily activities, including hygiene and feeding. They may experience fecal incontinence, limb stiffness, and primitive reflexes such as strong grasping, groping, and sucking. Eventually, the patient may slip into a coma, and death may occur due to complications such as infection.
If your parents or relatives are over 55 years old, please pay attention to subtle changes in their behavior and consult a doctor if they exhibit any of the ten behaviors listed in the picture. Early detection and intervention can help prevent or alleviate degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, prolong the ability to perform daily activities, and preserve memories and relationships.
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