Understanding Forgetfulness in Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterised by progressive loss of cognition, increase in forgetfulness or dementia, and a major decline in social skills. This is due to the death of millions of neurons in the brain which are responsible for all these functions. Our brain literally shrinks in size too! Though these symptoms take many years to become prominent, the onset can begin as early as 45 years of age (early onset AD due to genetics). Otherwise, it is late-onset AD, when a person is older than 60 years of age. Another hallmark of this disease is the problematic accumulation of proteins in the brain. Research has not told us if these protein aggregates are the problem themselves, or just another symptom due to an underlying cause.

How to Recognize Forgetfulness as a Sign of Alzheimer’s Disease

Growing old means forgetting stuff which is totally normal. But how do you know that you are forgetting too many things, and it is actually a problem and not a quirk anymore? Think about these questions when in doubt. There is unfortunately no exact way to tell you that you may have AD, unless you get tests done by a physician.

• Are you taking too long to finish a daily task?
• Do you lose your train of thought regularly?
• Do you have issues when trying to solve a problem?
• Have you lost anything, or misplaced something at an odd spot?
• Do you feel too anxious?
• Do you get overly emotional or aggressive about minor things?
• Are you sure about your decision making skills?
• Do you think you have poor self control?

When is forgetfulness a concern for Alzheimer’s disease?

Like we said, forgetting stuff is not an issue, but if the quality of your life gets adversely affected, then it is time you get checked. This also means that dementia is an abnormal symptom by itself. There have also been instances where people’s personalities change. Let us illustrate with a few examples:

Scenario 1

Forgetting a payment vs. consistently not being able to keep track of payments.

Scenario 2

Not being able to remember the time or date for a while and then being able to recall it vs. losing track of day or time regularly.

These may seem inconsequential, but it can be frustrating if it happens daily. This progresses to an extent where people forget everything about themselves.

Common Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease in Seniors

Some common signs of AD include the following cases:

• Getting lost in familiar places
• Asking for/about the same things again and again
• Confusion about people or places
• Not being able to follow their daily routine- they may forget to eat meals, or go to the toilet, or have a bath etc.

Conclusion

Effective stress management is a great way to ensure that we feel good about life and ourselves. Being mindful of your routine, your triggers and ways to relax matter. Chronic stress is harmful in many ways and can affect cognition, lower immunity, cause insomnia or even gut-related issues. There is a psychological component to every physical symptom you may deal with. The important thing is to not indulge in any unhealthy behaviours or use coping mechanisms.