4. Disorientation – This is a very common symptom of advanced dementia. People with Alzheimer’s disease have frequently become confused and lose track of time or are easily lost. They may get turned around in their own neighborhood and have no idea where they are, or they may forget regular routes, like how to get to the grocery store, even if they have taken the same path for years.

5. Poor Judgment – Alzheimer’s patients tend to suffer from a poor or, at least decreased, sense of judgment. They may not dress warm enough for a cold winter’s day, or they may put on layers and layers of clothing to go take a walk on a hot summer’s day. They easily fall victim to scam artists and telemarketers, and may even try to give large sums of money away to televangelists, charities, or the homeless man on the street, leaving them with no money to live. While all people may, at one time or another, make debatable or questionable decisions from time to time, the Alzheimer’s patient will commonly fall victim to colossal blunders if they are not carefully watched.

6. Misplacing Things – It’s not uncommon to misplace one’s keys, sometimes losing track of an item almost as soon as you set it down. The Alzheimer’s patient, however, takes this to a new extreme, often misplacing the items in a strange place, such as putting a toothbrush in the freezer, or storing a favorite diamond ring in the sugar bowl… with the sugar.

7. Mood Swings or Changes in Personality – These are common in a person that is suffering from dementia. In the beginning stages, Alzheimer’s patients are often easily frustrated by lapses in memory, or angered by the helplessness that they feel. As the disease progresses, the anger can become mingled with confusion and fear, especially when one begins losing their grasp on familiar faces and their surroundings.

« 1 2 3 »