Age Dementia Symptoms Alzheimers Symptoms Senile Dementia Symptoms

Alzheimers disease and other age related dementia cause many problems for patients and their families. Many problems are due to memory loss. Common symptoms for Alzheimers and other age related dementia are listed below, but not everyone has all of these signs.

Also, not everyone with these symptoms has Alzheimers or age related dementia — prescription drugs interactions and other treatable causes often mimic age dementia symptoms. According to Consumer Reports on Health, "Any new health problem in an older person should be considered drug induced until proven otherwise." To see if medications could be the cause of your loved one's symptoms, click on Prescription Drugs Interactions.

Recent memory loss. Everyone forgets things for awhile, but remembers them later. Dementia patients often forget things, and never remember them. They might ask the same question repeatedly, each time forgetting that you already answered it. They don't even remember they already asked the question.

Difficulty performing familiar tasks. Patients might cook a meal but forget to serve it. They might even forget cooking it.

Problems with language. Dementia patients may forget simple words or use the wrong words, making it hard to understand what they want, causing an outburst of anger directed at the person they're talking to.

Time and place disorientation. Patients may get lost on their own street, forgetting how they got to a certain place and how to get back home.

Poor judgment. Anyone might get distracted and forget to watch a child closely for a short time. Dementia patients might forget about the child and just leave the house for the day.

Problems with abstract thinking. Anyone might have trouble balancing a checkbook from time to time; dementia patients can forget what numbers are and how to use them.

Misplacing things. Patients may put things in the wrong places — an iron in the freezer or a wristwatch in the sugar bowl. Then they can't find them later.

Changes in mood. Everyone is moody occasionally, but patients may have fast mood swings, going from calm to tears to anger in just minutes.

Personality changes. Patients may have drastic changes in personality, often becoming irritable, suspicious or fearful.

Loss of initiative. Patients may become passive, not wanting to go places or see other people.

Important Note: Even if your loved one has some of these problems, they may not have Alzheimers. Many treatable health conditions have the same signs. Among them are:

--Prescription drugs interactions and side effects
--The combined effect of weight loss/gain and medications
--Dehydration
--Vitamin B12 deficiency
--Falls and concussions
--Depression
--Alcohol use