As our bodies age, our brains do, too. With age, the likelihood that we may suffer from Alzheimer's Disease or Dementia increases dramatically. To be safe and aware of these, ThirdAge has prepared a list of warning signs that you can watch for.
If you encounter any of the following, be sure to seek medical help and advice from your primary care physician. It's never a bad thing to be worried and watching out for your own health (or, the health of loved ones):
- Recent Memory Loss That Affects Job Skills
- Difficulty Performing Familiar Tasks
- Problems with Language
- Disorientation of Time and Place
- Poor or Decreased Judgment
- Problems with Abstract Thinking
- Misplacing Things
- Changes in Mood Or Behavior
- Changes in Personality
- Loss of Initiative
Author Jacqueline Marcell offers more advice:
"Seeking help early can save families a lot of heartache and money, and save our society the burden of caring for so many elders who decline sooner than need be. It's really very simple: When your loved one does something that strikes you as illogical or irrational -- it is! You don't need to be a Ph.D. to know something is wrong. But you do need an M.D. who can diagnose and treat it properly."
For more information on Alzheimer's Disease or Dementia, please see the linked resources here on ThirdAge.com
