What to Expect in the Early Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease

Elderly Care in Weston MA

If your loved one has just been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, you might not know what to expect. In fact, you might have been seeing some of these behaviors before your loved one’s diagnosis.

Repetition

Your loved one might ask you the same questions over and over again. Or she might forget that she told you something, so she repeats it several times over the afternoon. Repetition can be a way for your loved one to soothe herself, but she may also not know she’s doing it.

Trouble Following Conversations

Your loved one might also have difficulty following the conversations that are happening around her. She may be able to follow along at some points and then seem to drift away again. She may also have bigger problems with conversations that include more people.

A Fuzzy Memory for People and Events

When it comes to less recent events, your loved one is likely to be completely on point. More recent events, however, can be trickier. In fact, your loved one’s brain most likely won’t be able to move that information from short term memory into long term memory, making it almost impossible for her to hold onto.

Behavior or Mood Changes

It’s not unusual for your loved one to experience sudden mood or behavior changes that can be upsetting for both you and her. Your loved one might not even understand fully why her behavior or mood changed as suddenly as it did.

Trouble Planning or Organizing

The early stages of Alzheimer’s disease also affect your loved one’s ability to organize thoughts or things, which can be part of why she gradually has more difficulty taking care of herself. Planning can also become more difficult, so you may need to help out more.

Trouble with Directions

If your loved one is out driving, she might have difficulty getting around, even in neighborhoods that she’s extremely familiar with. She might not want to tell you that she’s having this trouble, though, so you might have to look for clues. One big clue is that your loved one takes far longer with a common errand than usual.

Misplaced Items

You might find that some of the items in your loved one’s home are placed oddly. For example, she might have accidentally put the milk in a cabinet or something that has nothing to do with food in the
refrigerator.

Understanding what you might experience in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease can help you to care for your loved one. A non-medical caregiver can help you and your senior loved one get through these difficult times.