Anyone out there who can help recognise early signs of Alzheimers?

[rebelmum1]

Help, my M is displaying unusual behaviour, has anyone one had a similar experience? My Grandmother had the disease.

she needs to see a specialist to rule out any other causes.

you might get some tips from this radio programme

what sort of unusual behaviour??

My grandmother had senile dementia. In her case the earliest sign was her short term memory going so she'd repeat herself. I remember watching a Xmas carole programme "Is that Liverpool cathedral? I went there once with Agnes'. then again 3 minutes later "is that Liverpool cathedral?...', then again 3 minutes later. She then began to get muddled, would mix up the microwave and fridge etc, not be able to turn the TV on etc- but constantly repeating everything she said was the earliest sign.

Not an expert but was worried about an elderly relative recently...

Apparently if they seem confused, etc in their own home/normal surroundings this would be a cause for concern. A friend who is a health professional said if she wanted to check how someone is doing discreetly they visit them at home and ask them to make them a cup of tea...

The symptoms of Alzheimers and senile dementia can be similar, but the two are not the same.

Alzheimers can be hereditary, and will generally start earlier in life than dementia, (but not always).

What behaviour is she displaying, rebel?

Bundle's right - there are lots of other causes of confusion in the elderly, and sometimes people are labelled with dementia when in fact they have something much simpler that can be treated. See her GP and get him/her to check for a urinary infection, for starters and refer on to a geriatrician in case it is something more serious.

Also, has she moved recently? Another common cause of confusion...

My mum is like yurt1's grandmother. She'll tell me 3 times what dd had for lunch on the days dd is with her and my Dad.

She also gets very confused about arrangements for things, eg if I say "we're taking you out for lunch on Sunday, will pick you up and we're meeting Auntie X there" she'll be completely flummoxed by that and Dad has to ring to ask me what I said.

Yes, edam's right. I used to work for a geriatrician and we admitted loads of people who were really confused and/or starting to behave aggressively and it was something physical that was easily sorted, rather than dementia.

My dad had Alzheimer's Disease and he died last year, aged 64. The symptoms can vary enormously as can the rate of progression. Please do seek advice as there may be a simple explanation

Sorry, was with her and couldn't get back online, hope you're all still about. Symptoms are:-

Physical/Emotional: changed appearance, stressed, anxious, scared, lost confidence, confused, lost pride in appearance

Behaviour: misplacing things, giving me clean things to wash, not able to find money in purse or able to pay for things, takes ages to perform tasks, eats all the time or not at all, unable to cook properly (was previously a good cook, sits indoors watches TV all the time, forgets things a lot, such as buys a jumper and then 3 minutes later can't remember.

She came over from France to buy xmas presents for all the grandchildren. The fruits of her trip is 1 book! She couldn't manage the rest, she said she didn't know what to get although I told her.

Getting her to a specialist is a no no, her mother had alzheimers and it is her worst fear, she's an anxious wreck as it is, plus there is very little really they can do. I just want to rule it out somehow, if it's another kind of mental illness like depression then that's treatable. She denies that she is depressed when I've tried to talk about it although she keeps bursting into tears.

rebel, I'm sorry to hear that. It must be proving a difficult visit.

Well, what can I say? It certainly sounds like many of the symptoms of alzheimers. I appreciate it could be something else, and were it not for the fact that you mentioned your grandmother, I'd probably be telling you not to worry

Is there any way you can get her a referral to a doctor when she goes home to France?