Recognizing the early signs of Alzheimer’s disease

Over the holidays, families often travel great distances to spend time together.

The Alzheimer’s Society of Calgary  says this can be a good time to check in on loved ones to make sure everything is okay.

“A lot of times the holidays are when families start to notice things that might be a little off,” said Jill Petrovic of the Alzheimer’s Society of Calgary. “It’s not always memory loss, it can be just general confusion, disorientation, communication difficulties, or just somebody having trouble remembering words that used to come to them quickly.”

Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia are most commonly diagnosed among patients over the age of 65 but 5% of cases occur in younger adults, in some cases when people are still in their 30s.

Calgary’s Heather Perreault was just 52 when her family began noticing strange behavior.

“She went to a store that was just three blocks away from the house and got lost,” said Hollis Lockert, Perreault’s younger sister.

“She would have trouble following recipes when cooking,” her son Matthew Perreault recalls. “She would make spaghetti and forget to put any seasoning in the sauce.”

It took a year before doctors finally diagnosed the social worker with early on-set Alzheimer’s. Once the diagnosis was made, Matthew Perrault says medication and support programs helped his mother maintain a good quality of life.

There is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease but Petrovic says early diagnosis can help patients on a number of fronts.

“Medication may help with symptoms and (early diagnosis) allows you to access some of the resources early on,” says Petrovic. “You can also start planning for your future from a financial and legal perspective. It allows you to make some of these decisions yourself.”

The Alzheimer’s society suggests talking with your doctor if you or a loved one experiences any of the following:

• Memory Loss: forgetting a person’s name or about an appointment
• Difficulty with familiar tasks such as making a pot of coffee
• Struggling to find the right words to communicate thoughts
• Confusing time or places, getting easily lost in familiar territory
• Exercising poor judgement: for example, wearing a heavy sweater on a hot day
• Difficulty with abstract thinking: calculating a tip or telling the time
• Losing things
• Changes in mood, behavior or personality
• Withdrawing from hobbies, social activities, work projects or sports.