To help family members and health-care professionals rec­ognize the warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease, the Alz­heimer’s Association has developed a checklist of common symptoms.

1. Memory loss. One of the most common early signs of dementia is forgetting recently learned information. While it’s normal to forget appointments, names, or telephone numbers, those with dementia will forget such things more often and not remember them later.
    
2. Difficulty performing familiar tasks. People with de­mentia often find it hard to complete everyday tasks that are so familiar we usually do not think about how to do them. A person with Alzheimer’s may not know the steps for preparing a meal, using a household appliance or participating in a lifelong hobby.
    
3. Problems with language. Everyone has trouble finding the right word sometimes, but a person with Alzheimer’s often forgets simple words or substitutes unusual words, making his or her speech or writing hard to understand. If a person with Alzheimer’s is unable to find his or her toothbrush, for example, the individual may ask for “that thing for my mouth.”
    
4. Disorientation to time and place. It’s normal to forget the day of the week or where you’re going. But people with Alzheimer’s disease can become lost on their own street. They may forget where they are and how they got there, and may not know how to get back home.
    
5. Poor or decreased judgment. No one has perfect judg­ment all of the time. Those with Alzheimer’s may dress without regard to the weather, wearing several shirts on a warm day or very little clothing in cold weather. Those with dementia often show poor judgment about money, giving away large sums to telemarketers or paying for home repairs or products they don’t need.
    
6. Problems with abstract thinking. Balancing a check­book is a task that can be challenging for some. But a person with Alzheimer’s may forget what the numbers represent and what needs to be done with them.
    
7. Misplacing things. Anyone can temporarily misplace a wallet or key. A person with Alzheimer’s disease may put things in unusual places, like an iron in the freezer or a wristwatch in the sugar bowl.
    
8. Changes in mood or behavior. Everyone can become sad or moody from time to time. Someone with Alzheimer’s disease can show rapid mood swings—from calm to tears to anger—for no apparent reason.
    
9. Changes in personality. Personalities ordinarily change somewhat with age. But a person with Alzheimer’s can change dramatically, becoming extremely confused, suspicious, fearful or dependent on a family member.
    
10. Loss of initiative. It’s normal to tire of housework, business activities or social obligations at times. The person with Alzheimer’s disease may become very passive, sitting in front of the television for hours, sleeping more than usual or not wanting to do usual activities.

If you recognize any warning signs in yourself or a loved one, the Alzheimer’s Association recommends consulting a physician.

John’s Hopkins information Distinguishing Normal “Senior Moments”                        
From More Worrisome Memory Lapses

Mild Cognitive Impairment
Frequently misplaces items.
Frequently forgets people’s names and is slow to recall them.
Has more difficulty using the right words.
Begins to forget important events and appointments.
May forget more recent events or newly learned information.
May temporarily become lost more often.
May have trouble understanding and following a map.
Worries about memory loss.
Family and friends notice the lapses

Normal Age-Related Forgetfulness
Sometimes misplaces keys, eyeglasses, or other items.
Momentarily forgets an acquaintance’s name.
Occasionally has to “search” for a word.
Occasionally forgets to run an errand.
May forget an event from the distant past.
When driving, may momentarily forget where to turn; quickly orients self.
Jokes about memory loss.

Dementia
Forgets what an item is used for or puts it in an inappropriate place.
May not remember knowing a person.
Begins to lose language skills. May withdraw from social interaction.
Loses sense of time. Doesn’t know what day it is.
Has serious impairment of short-term memory.
Has difficulty learning and remembering new information.
Becomes easily disoriented or lost in familiar places, sometimes for hours.
May have little or no awareness of cognitive problems.

John’s Hopkins Tests for Dementia

Clock Drawing Test. The Clock Drawing Test is the most well known of the screening tests for dementia. Patients are asked to draw a clock with the hands pointing to a specified time—for example, 2:45. The most complete, well-organized, accurate, and spatially correct drawing is rated a “10,” and the least representative is rated a “1.” The more distorted and inaccurate the drawings are, the more likely the person has dementia.

Time and Change Test. This test measures the ability to tell time and perform a simple math task. In the time test, the patient is given 60 seconds to read the time on a clock and gets two attempts to get it right. In the change test, the person is given three quarters, seven dimes, and seven nickels and asked to make change for a dollar. The change test has a three-minute limit, and two attempts are allowed.

It’s important to realize that these are screening tests, not diagnostic tests. They are designed to be administered and interpreted by a healthcare professional. Poor results are an indication of probable cognitive impairment, but more sophisticated testing is necessary to make a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.

This information is not intended to provide advice on personal medical matters or to substitute for consultation with a physician.

Early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or other disorders causing dementia is an important step to getting appropriate treatment, care and support services.

Early diagnosis is beneficial for several reasons. Having an early diagnosis and starting treatment in the early stages of the disease can help preserve function for months to years, even though the underlying disease process cannot be changed. Having an early diagnosis also helps families plan for the future, make living arrangements, take care of financial and legal matters, and develop support networks.

In addition, an early diagnosis can provide greater opportunities for people to get involved in clinical trials. In a clinical trial, scientists test drugs or treatments to see which are most effective and for whom they work best.

People with Alzheimer’s disease, those with MCI, those with a family history of Alzheimer’s, and healthy people with no memory problems and no family history of the disease may be able to take part in clinical trials. Study volunteers help scientists learn about the brain in healthy aging as well as what happens in Alzheimer’s. Results of clinical trials are used to improve prevention and treatment approaches. Participating in clinical trials is an effective way to help in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.

NIA, which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), leads the Federal Government’s research efforts on Alzheimer’s. NIA-supported Alzheimer’s Disease Centers located throughout the United States conduct many clinical trials and carry out a wide range of research, including studies of the causes, diagnosis, and management of Alzheimer’s. NIA also sponsors the Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS), a consortium of leading researchers throughout the U.S. and Canada who conduct clinical trials on promising Alzheimer’s treatments.

To find out more about Alzheimer’s clinical trials, talk to your health care provider or contact NIA’s ADEAR Center at 1-800-438-4380. Or, visit the ADEAR Center clinical trials database at www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/ResearchInformation/ClinicalTrials. You also can sign up for email alerts that let you know when new clinical trials are added to the database. More information about clinical trials is available at www.ClinicalTrials.gov. Also see Participating in Alzheimer’s Disease Clinical Trials and Studies at www.nia.nih.gov/Alzheimers/Publications/trials-studies.htm.