Senior Health
Information, Symptoms, Treatments and Resources
Understanding Alzheimer's Disease
The Early Stages
The Early Stages
Dementia symptoms cause difficulties in many areas of brain function including language, memory, perception, emotional behavior and personality. However, the onset of Alzheimer's disease is typically very slow. At first, a person may experience forgetfulness or a lapse in memory, like missing a scheduled appointment or forgetting important dates. Trouble finding proper words to use in a sentence is also common. Other early symptoms include misplacing items, like car keys or cell phones, disorientation and difficulty performing complex tasks like balancing a checkbook. Early stages of Alzheimer's may also affect a person's emotions, causing increased moodiness and a loss of interest in activities previously enjoyed.
By MedHelp Editors, published April 12, 2011
