When you have a loved one that just doesnt seem the same anymore it can be scary. You are not sure what is causing it or how to handle it. It is great that there are doctors you can go to and talk to about your concerns for a loved one. There may come a time that a loved one is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. This can be overwhelming and you may not be sure what the next steps are. Depending on the severity, you may hire The Gables for in-home care to take care of your loved one. If it is severe enough, they may benefit from assisted living. Below are some common symptoms of Alzheimer’s. 

Memory Loss

One of the first and more noticeable symptoms is memory loss. It may start out as just forgetting a recent conversation or events that they had planned on attending. As it progresses, they may not remember familiar places or people that are in their life. They may repeat themselves often, lose items consistently, and forget about appointments. This is usually what is noticed by family members and is a cause for concern. As the disease progresses, their memory will continue to get worst, and forget more and more. 

Judgment and Decisions

When one has Alzheimer’s, their judgment and decisions making skills will start to decline. For example, it may be the middle of winter but they choose to go outside without a coat. Their judgment will suffer in ways that may cause them to make poor decisions in social settings. They may do things that are not appropriate for particular social situations. This could also affect their decision making in day to day tasks such as driving. If they are not able to make good decisions, there may be some limitations put in place for what they can do on their own. 

Change in Behavior and Personality

Sadly, with Alzheimer’s, you may feel that you dont know that person anymore. There can be changes to their personality and behavior that can be hard to accept. They may be more irritable, have mood swings, wander, and have delusions. Those things along with depression and the social withdrawal they may experience can be hard to watch. It is common for those with Alzheimer’s to randomly wander from their homes, or have delusions that something is wrong or missing. They may take out their frustrations on you or those around them. It can be easy to feel that who you are taking care of is not who you remember. They are victims of the disease and can’t help the changes that are happening to them. 

Be There for Them

Finding out that your loved one has Alzheimer’s is hard, and even harder for your loved one. It can be a trying time with all of the changes and realizing that the disease will likely continue to progress. If you have a loved one that is having memory issues, a hard time making decisions, and a change in behavior it may be time to take them to their primary doctor. From there you can take the proper steps to ensure their safety and comfort during this time.