Symptoms Mild Dementia, Early Stage Alzheimer's disease

Symptoms Mild Dementia/Early Stage Alzheimer's disease

• Diminished short-term memory
• Misplacing belongings in odd places; losing valuable belongings, like wallet or purse
• Difficulty finding the right word: "Tip of the tongue" syndrome
• Person seems "not himself" and shows uncharacteristic behaviors
• Lapses in judgment
• Difficulty with mental arithmetic and handling money
• Disorientation in unfamiliar places or situations
• May become apathetic or withdrawn, avoiding social situations
• More difficulty with routine tasks at work or at home, or may take longer to complete tasks
• Irritation or anger in response to increasing memory lapses

Specific Examples

• Asks the same question repeatedly within the same conversation
• Puts car keys away in refrigerator
• Unable to recall word for "car" and then says in frustration, "The thing you drive to work in."
• A normally shy person becomes uncharacteristically outgoing or talkative at a family gathering
• Agrees to buy services or products he/she doesn't need from telephone sales person
• Finds it difficult to balance checkbook or figure out correct amount of money to pay for an item while shopping
• Forgets to eat, skips meals, or eats the same food every meal

Source: John Hopkins, Memory, Health Alert


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