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Recognizing Signs of Alzheimer’s In Patients
Combination of two brain diagrams in one for comparison. In the left normal brain, in the right brain of a person with Alzheimer’s disease English: Diagram of the brain of a person with Alzheimer’s Disease English: Diagram of a normal brain Русский: Изображение нормального мозга и мозга при болезни Альцгеймера Nederlands: Vergelijking van normale hersenen (links) met die van een alzheimerpatiënt.(rechts) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Alzheimer’s disease is a common type of dementia that gradually gets worse over time. The main thing affected by Alzheimer’s is a person’s memory and cognitive abilities. There are 3 stages of Alzheimer’s disease: mild, moderate, and severe. Typically, a person will live 8-10 years after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, but every case is different, and people can live much longer.
Here are some recognizing signs of Alzheimer’s in patients:
• Memory loss – Memory loss is the most common sign of Alzheimer’s disease, especially forgetting things that a person recently learned. If a person asks for the same information over and over, it is a sign of Alzheimer’s.
• Problem solving and concentration – If a person struggles with solving problems in his or her daily life or has problems concentrating with no prior history of such problems, this may be a sign of Alzheimer’s.If things take longer to do than they typically did before, this may be another sign.
• Hard time completing daily tasks – Frequently, a person with Alzheimer’s has a hard time completing daily tasks such as remembering a recipe that they have made many times before or balancing a checkbook.
• Vision problems – Vision problems can be one sign of Alzheimer’s disease in some people. Having a hard time reading or judging distances can be a sign.
• Time confusion – A person with Alzheimer’s disease may be confused about the time or the passage of time. Such a person may have a hard time determining when an event happened, whether it was immediately right before or a longer time in the past.
• Place confusion – One of the common signs of Alzheimer’s is if a person is confused where they are and how they got there.
• Lack of good judgment – One sign of Alzheimer’s in patients is lack of good judgment and a lack of good decision-making. Paying less attention to details such as personal grooming and eating right is a sign to look for.
• Speech problems – This is not having trouble speaking or not vocalizing. An Alzheimer’s patient may not be able to follow a conversation or may repeat something he or she has already said. Patients may also not be able to find the right word for something or may call things by the wrong name.
• Misplacing things – One sign of Alzheimer’s disease is misplacing things and being unable to find them or putting things in strange places where they do not typically belong.
• Mood changes – People with Alzheimer’s can experience mood changes from mild to severe. They can become more easily irritated because of what they are experiencing. Thus, they become frustrated and confused.
• Social withdrawal – Withdrawing from such things as hobbies, work, activities, and friends and family can be a sign of Alzheimer’s in patients.
It’s important to seek memory care right away when you see any warning signs.
Vitamin D and Your Brain
Image via Wikipedia
Do you get enough Vitamin D? Do you even know how much you get daily or how much is recommended? Have you had your Vitamin D level checked? My endocrinologist checked mine about almost 2 years ago, and I’ve been taking Vitamin D supplements ever since. Of course my physician monitors my Vitamin D levels through routine blood tests.
Well, today the Institute of Medicine is expected to release its recommendation to increase daily Vitamin D intake from 200 international units to 600 international units. The Institute is also expected to recommend raising the upper limit of Vitamin D intake for adults from 2000 IUs to 4000 IUs. Why is Vitamin D important? I think Vitamin D has gained more attention recently as we are not the sun lovers we once were. More of us consistently use sunscreen and kids don’t seem to play outside all day long like we did as kids. As we all know, Vitamin D is crucial to bone health but did you know that low levels may also contribute to many chronic diseases like-Alzheimer’s Disease, dementia, cognitive decline, diabetes, cancer, auto- immune diseases, depression, stroke, infections, and even heart disease. That is why Vitamin D is crucial to your health!
Are you regularly eating foods containing Vitamin D? What foods contain Vitamin D? Here are some food and beverages containing Vitamin D, of course this is not a comprehensive list-just a sampling. Salmon-wild, Alaskan, sockeye; fish oil; mollusks; Steelhead trout; herring; sardines; halibut; variety of milks-soy, almond, rice, cow, goat; fortified orange juice; mushrooms; spinach; potatoes; eggs; cheese; puddings prepared with milk.
So now that you’ve read all this, what should you do? First, continue to eat a well balanced diet as that promotes anti-aging and healthy aging. Continue to exercise your brain and your body. It’s the combination of brain exercise, physical exercise, and healthy eating that increase your odds for longevity and a healthy life. What have you got to lose except maybe your brain health, chronic diseases and illness, or your life? Perhaps it’s time for a checkup with your physician that includes lab work to check your Vitamin D level to at least establish your baseline.
BrainMasters 