Symptoms

Memory loss is usually the first sign of Alzheimer's disease. Many older people may worry about Alzheimer's disease if they start to have memory problems. Having some short-term memory loss in your 60s and 70s is common, and some people with mild memory problems will go on to develop Alzheimer's disease. If you start having memory problems, share your concerns with your family and your doctor.

Examples of normal forgetfulness include forgetting:

• Parts of an experience.
• Where the car is parked.
• Events from the distant past.
• A person's name, remembering it later.
• Where you left an object, such as your car keys.

Examples of memory loss caused by Alzheimer's disease include forgetting:

• An entire experience.
• How to drive a car or read a clock.
• Recent events, such as forgetting you left the stove on.
• Ever having known a particular person.

Alzheimer's disease also causes changes in thinking, behavior, and personality. Early in the disease, the person may still behave appropriately in social situations, leading others to believe that the person is not ill. Close family members and friends may first notice the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, although the person may also realize that something is wrong. Learn the warning signs of dementia—such as having difficulty thinking or remembering, or having trouble balancing a checkbook—and talk to a doctor if a friend or family member has any of the signs. Symptoms vary as the disease progresses.

The Alzheimer's Association has identified 10 warning signs for Alzheimer's disease. These signs are:²

• Memory loss that disrupts daily life, such as forgetting recently learned information like names and phone numbers.
• Challenges in planning or solving problems.
• Difficulty completing familiar tasks, such as cooking a meal.
• Confusion with time and place, such as forgetting where you live on your street.
• Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships, such as problems reading or judging distance.
• New problems with words in speaking or writing, such as calling things by the wrong name or having trouble finding the right word.
• Misplacing things and being unable to go back over your steps to find them again, like putting an iron in the freezer or a wristwatch in the sugar bowl.
• Poor or decreased judgment, such as dressing improperly for the weather or giving away large sums of money to strangers.
• Withdrawing from work or social activities, such as not wanting to keep up with a favorite sports team or favorite hobby.
• Changes in mood and personality, such as rapid mood swings—from calm to tears to anger—for no apparent reason.