Is it Alzheimer’s? Or something that’s curable?

Because the symptoms are almost identical, many health problems are often mistaken for Alzheimer’s and other dementias. But, the problems causing the symptoms are usually treatable if detected early enough. Prescription drug interactions and side effects, vitamin B12 deficiency and dehydration most commonly produce false symptoms of dementia. (According to Consumer Reports on Health, “Any new health problem in an older person should be considered drug induced until proven otherwise.”)

Other treatable conditions that can produce false symptoms of dementia are:

• The combined effect of weight loss/gain and medications
• Falls and concussions
• Depression
• Alcohol use

In other words, symptoms that some people (including many doctors) often dismiss as a “normal part of aging” – really aren’t. If these symptoms are left untreated, your loved one could face a life of despair in a nursing home. But, if the symptoms are treated early enough, your loved one can very often regain a full and normal life.

If your loved one has one or more of the symptoms described below, take him or her to a doctor as soon as possible. Determining the cause usually involves a team of medical specialists under the guidance of a patient’s primary care doctor. For patients who are 65 or older, the tests and doctor charges are usually covered by Medicare.

The tests may involve some or all of the following, many of which are designed to rule out other possible causes for your loved one’s problems:

• An evaluation of memory and mental skills.
• A physical exam, including a review of family medical history, to detect other medical problems, including possible interactions between prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, herbal supplements, vitamins and/or mineral supplements. Many foods can also cause unexpected interactions with prescription medications.
• A nutritional evaluation to determine if dietary problems or improper eating habits may be causing the problem.
• Blood tests, including tests for vitamin B12 and folic acid deficiencies, thyroid hormone imbalances, anemia, etc.
• EEG (electroencephalogram).
• A neurological exam to rule out other disorders of the brain such as Parkinson’s disease, hydrocephalus (fluid accumulation in the brain), prior strokes and mini-strokes, brain tumors, etc.
• Brain Scan (CT or MRI).

Important Note: Even if a doctor has a lot of older patients, that doesn’t make the doctor an expert in the special problems of the elderly. If a doctor dismisses your loved one’s memory problems as “just a part of growing older” or decides that he or she has Alzheimer’s or senility without testing for other possible problems like those we’ve described, we recommend that you get a second opinion from another doctor.

– Symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and Other Dementias –

In addition to memory loss, Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia cause a host of problems and challenges for both patients and their families. The most common symptoms are listed below. But, it is important to remember that not everyone with dementia has all of the symptoms.

Recent memory loss. Everyone forgets things for awhile, but remembers them later. But, dementia patients forget things, and never remember them. For example, they might ask the same question repeatedly, forgetting that you already answered it.

Difficulty performing familiar tasks. Patients might cook a meal but forget to serve 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.

You might also wish to visit DementiaGuide. It offers helpful information about all forms of dementia, its symptoms and effects. More importantly, you’ll find the convenient online service, SymptomGuide™, a practical tool for recording, tracking and measuring the effects of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.

To help determine the cause of your loved one’s problems, the U.S. Administration on Aging has prepared a brief guide, “Questions to Ask the Doctor.” To see it, click here. Fill in the information about your loved one’s medications and take it with you for your loved one’s next doctor’s appointment.

If your loved one has already been diagnosed as having Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia, ElderCarelink can help you find the right local eldercare services for him or her. ElderCarelink has established a nationwide network of carefully screened eldercare providers and facilities, and provides their referral service free of charge.

Within minutes of completing their brief Needs Survey, you will receive a detailed email report listing care providers in your area who match your specific requirements. Last year, over 100,000 families utilized this service in their search for high-quality senior care. Click here to use the ElderCarelink service.

– Information Resources –

The information about the common symptoms for Alzheimer’s and other age related dementia was found on the MEDLINEplus Web site. For more information, click on Alzheimers symptoms.

MEDLINEplus is a gold mine of up-to-date, quality health care information assembled by the Library of Medicine at the U.S. National Institutes of Health. To go to MEDLINEplus, click here.

To help you better understand how Alzheimer’s disease progresses, the Alzheimer’s Association has prepared an excellent article, Stages of Alzheimer’s.

Filed Under: Featured

Tags: Alzheimer's disease • Dehydration • Dementia • Disorientation • Drug Interactions • Memory Loss • Vitamin B12 Deficiency