From the Alzheimer’s section of the Toronto Star, Thursday, January 10, 2008, page U3, part of an article about the warning signs of Alzheimer’s and how to keep your mind healthy:
WARNING SIGNS
Alzheimer’s is a progressive, degenerative disease. People may think the symptoms are part of normal aging but they aren’t.
Here are some warning signs:
* Problems with language:
Everyone has trouble finding the right word sometimes, but a person with Alzheimer’s may forget simple words or substitute words, making sentences difficult to understand.
* Disorientation of time and place:
It’s normal to forget the day of the week or your destination – for a moment. But people with Alzheimer’s can become lost on their own street now knowing how they got there or how to get home.
* Problems with abstract thinking:
People may have difficulty from time to time with tasks that require abstract thinking, such as balancing a cheque book. Smeone with Alzheimer’s may have significant difficulties with such tasks, not understanding what the numbers mean.
* Misplacing things:
Anyone can temporarily misplace a wallet or keys. A person with Alzheimer’s may put things in inappropriate places – an iron in the freezer or a wristwatch in the sugar bowl.
* Changes in mood and behaviour:
Everyone becomes sad or moody from time to time. Someone with Alzheimer’s can exhibit varied mood swings, from calm to tears to anger, for no apparent reason.
* Changes in personality:
Personalities can change somewhat with age. But a person with Alzheimer’s can become confused, suspicious or withdrawn. Changes may also include apathy, fearfulness oracting out of character.
* Loss of initiative:
It’s normal to tire of housework, business activites or social obligations, but most people regain their initiative. A person with Alzheimer’s may become very passive, and require cues and prompting to become involved.
alzheimer.ca
Here is the section of the article about exercising your brain:
KEEP YOUR MIND ACTIVE
* Play games to challenge your mind – chess, word and number puzzles, jigsaws, crosswords and memory games.
* Pursue a new interest, such as learning to play a musical instrument, taking a course or going to the theatre.
* Break your routine – take a different route to the store or change the order of your morning routine.
* Read a book – discuss it with a friend.
* Pursue cultural activities like going to plays, museums, concerts, galleries.
* Keep up hobbies such as sewing or carpentry, or take up a new one.
Leave a comment