From time to time you may misplace your keys. Where did I park my car? What is the name of that gentleman I met last week?
Unfortunately, with age forgetfulness can happen to anyone. When forgetfulness becomes serious enough to interfere with daily life activities there are ways to distinguish between that and memory difficulties or dementia. Alzheimer’s is the leading cause of dementia.

Some signs of Dementia

• Confusion about places and times
• Misplacing items
• Changes in behavior or mood
• Not being able to adhere to directions
• Repetitive question asking or story telling

Some signs of Alzheimer’s Disease

• Misplacing items and losing the ability to retrace steps
• Losing track of the date or the season
• Difficulty having a conversation
• Experiencing delusions ( firmly held belief in things that are not real)
• Experiencing hallucinations ( smelling, seeing, feeling or hearing things that are not there)

Diagnosing Alzheimer’s Disease

When to decide if what you or your loved one is going through is more than  just forgetfulness or mild cognitive impairment( a more pronounced form of memory loss that sometimes can foreshadow dementia )is a crucial lifesaving key. Anyone who has symptoms and is particularly over the age of 60 should schedule an appointment with their doctor. According to the Alzheimer’s Association a skilled physician can diagnose the disease with 90 percent accuracy.

Loving Hearts Home Care – Erie PA 16506 – 814-836-1147