Trouble With Planning and Problem-Solving
People with Alzheimer’s disease often show problems when it comes to following directions. It will probably start with having difficulty with bigger plans of action, like planning birthday parties or planning a trip. Over time, even smaller things become harder, such as following easy and/or regular recipes, like brownies. Even familiar tasks someone has always done on a monthly, weekly, or even daily basis can become harder. Things like maintaining bills/checkbooks and taking medicine. Routines become blurry.
Poor Judgement
In the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, people often notice that they have more trouble with decision-making. Issues in the decision-making process and judgment are often seen with finances or trusting the wrong people. For example, it is often seen people with Alzheimer’s disease suddenly make large donations to telemarketers. Should you suspect that your loved one has Alzheimer’s disease, be sure to keep a close eye on his or her finances. So that he or she doesn’t get scammed.
Paranoia, Delusions, and Hallucinations
People who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease often lose their grip on reality. They might experience paranoia and delusions. For example, people with Alzheimer’s are often suspicious of their caregivers or even family members. They might accuse them of abusing or mistreating them in any other way, while that might not be true. It’s also often seen they think other people are trying to kidnap, steal from, or hurt them. A more progressed form of these delusions is hallucinations. At this point, you might start seeing and hearing things that are not there.
Loss of Awareness of the Surroundings
It is often seen that persons with Alzheimer’s disease lose their awareness of their surroundings. They might not notice visitors anymore, and start to turn more into themselves. They usually lose their sense of time and reality and start hallucinating more. It will become quite difficult to communicate with them at this point. When you suspect this is happening, try to get him or her more involved.
