As people age, they tend to have more and more “senior moments.”
But what is just plain ol’ forgetfulness, and what points to something more serious going on? Things tend to go wrong when you start ignoring the signs in front of you.
Alzheimer’s and Dementia: A National Epidemic?
Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia. Experts predict that if no cure is found, cases will reach epidemic proportions across the globe. According to a recent report by the Alzheimer’s Association, currently 10% of adults in the U.S. over the age of 65 have Alzheimer’s.
The report also estimates that the disease will increase by 14% in all 50 states over the next eight years, “…between 2017 and 2025 every state across the country is expected to experience an increase of at least 14% in the number of people with Alzheimer’s due to increases in the population age 65 and older. The West and Southeast are expected to experience the largest percentage increases in people with Alzheimer’s between 2017 and 2025. These increases will have a marked impact on states’ health care systems, as well as the Medicaid program, which covers the costs of long-term care and support for some older residents with dementia.”
Anyone who has been affected by dementia, and Alzheimer’s in particular, knows that memory loss negatively impacts quality of life. A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s is a blow for most families, and one some never recover from.
But the good news is that the earlier you can detect the warning signs, the better able you’ll be to get the right treatment plan in place.
7 Early Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s and Dementia
Here are 7 warning signs that should not be ignored. If you or someone you love has experienced one or more of these, it is important to make an appointment with your doctor.
1 Noticeable Memory Loss
It’s not uncommon for people at any age to forget something they usually know. Someone’s name, a friend’s phone number or address. In benign scenarios, that information comes to the person after a second or two.
With Alzheimer’s and dementia, more and more information starts to get lost. It may be information that was recently learned or information that has been known intimately for years. If you or someone you love has to rely more and more on memory aids or is asking for the same information over and over again, this is a sign that something more serious may be going on.
2 Trouble with Making Plans or Problem Solving
It is common for some people to begin having problems keeping track of things such as monthly bills and medication. Others may have a hard time following a recipe or doing simple math. Overall, you may find yourself or your loved one having a hard time concentrating or taking much longer to do things than they did before.
3. Trouble with Spatial Relationships and Visuals
It’s not uncommon for older people to begin having trouble with their eyesight because of the natural aging process of the body and/or cataracts. But people who are having a hard time judging distances or determining colors, which may all cause problems with driving, may be showing signs that something else is going on.
4. Difficulty Completing Familiar Tasks
Individuals with Alzheimer’s begin to have trouble doing things they’ve been doing daily for years. For instance, someone may have a hard time remembering the rules to a favorite card game. Others may have a hard time driving to a familiar location or managing their monthly budget.
5. Losing Track of Time
We all have those moments when we can’t remember what day it is. But people with Alzheimer’s easily lose track of the passage of time, the seasons and dates. They often forget how they arrived at their current location and don’t understand why something, like a future holiday, isn’t happening right now.
6 Trouble with Language
It’s normal for people of just about any age to forget a word once in a while. But people with dementia struggle with language and vocabulary with increasing frequency. They may confuse the meanings of different words – thinking a spoon is something you wear on your feet and socks go in the kitchen drawer. They often have a hard time joining or following a conversation and often repeat themselves.
7. Losing Things
People struggling with dementia may start to put things in different and/or unusual places. This causes them to constantly lose items. Often, they accuse other people of stealing.
Again, if you or a loved one has been experiencing one or more of these symptoms, it’s very important that you make an appointment with the doctor to get checked out. While a diagnosis of dementia and/or Alzheimer’s can be frightening, knowing what is going on can help you and your family come up with the best treatment plan.
The Best Treatment Plan for Alzheimer’s
Now you may be thinking, “What treatment plan? There is no cure for Alzheimer’s and a diagnosis is basically a death sentence.” But is that really true?
There is so much about the human body that is still mysterious to most people in the medical and scientific community. For instance, there was a time when experts believed we couldn’t form new neural connections or synapses, but now we know that is not true. Brain plasticity is “a thing” and we can now see that the human brain is capable of changing – for the better and the worse – throughout a person’s life.
What if I told you there is a doctor who has been helping his patients completely reverse their Alzheimer’s? Would you believe me or think that was an impossibility?
Well, it is absolutely true, and this doctor has written a guide to help others reverse their Alzheimer’s and get their memory back. The guide is called The Unbreakable Brain. In it you’ll learn the exact methods he used to heal his patients’ brains. The protocols in this book are all natural and incredibly powerful.
Pick up your copy of The Unbreakable Brain today. It may be the most important book you’ll ever read.
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