Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer's disease has three major stages that can act as markers to alert friends and relatives of the onset of Alzheimer's.

The earliest symptoms are often mistaken for normal signs of aging, however Stage 1 (the earliest stage of Alzheimer's) includes the following symptoms:

• Recent (or short term) memory loss: This can include forgetting things that occurred yesterday and having trouble remembering the names of common objects and familiar people.
• Confused about the month or season.
• Forgetting parts of their daily routine (e.g. brushing their teeth)
• Walking may become harder
• Trouble making decisions that once were easy
• Loss of interest in pastimes

Stage 2 of Alzheimer's disease can include symptoms such as:

• Problems accomplishing the chores of daily living
• Personal hygiene may no longer seem important
• Fail to recognize friends and relatives
• May become loud, violent, and hard to control.
• Trouble with sleeping
• Begin wandering off.
• May seem especially anxious, restless, and agitated in the late afternoon
• Find it hard to recall words or talk in normal sentences

Stage 3 of Alzheimer's disease can include symptoms such as:

• Loss of all memory and speech
• Decline in muscular control
• Extreme hostility
• Loss of control
• Aggression and destructiveness
• Loss of all ability to care for themselves