Other Lesser Known Signs of Alzheimer’s

Most of us are familiar with the forgetfulness and confusion Alzheimer’s disease causes. Especially in the early stages, family and friends start noticing the person is constantly repeating themselves and/or forgetting where they put things. However experts say there are other commonly occurring signs of a serious problem.
One of those early warning signs can be having trouble navigating to the point of even getting lost in familiar places. A decline in spatial awareness as well as vision problems can cause a person in the early stages of Alzheimer’s to become confused in new places and have trouble identifying objects and people.

Spatial and visual issues may include looking at an object and not seeing it clearly for what it is. Examples could be a person sees a blue floor as water or a dark spot in a rug as a hole in the floor. They may be unable to tell if their house is to the left of them or to judge distances accurately. Some people may mistake their child for their spouse or another relative.

These misconceptions and misidentifications are caused by damage to the neurons, which are “cells in your brain that communicate with each other and with the rest of your body. Alzheimer’s causes damage to neurons.” Researchers say they are not sure if the problems are due to impairment to the spatial reasoning part of the brain or damage to their temporal and parietal lobes.

There are things caregivers can do to help a person navigate their surroundings more easily such as removing clutter from the person’s living space and labeling items. Keeping things in the same place is another helpful tip as habit is a strong instinct. IF you are out with the person and they look confused or frightened, stop what you are doing, and calmly explain where you are as well as listen to their perspective of what they are feeling.

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Source: alzheimersdisease.net/symptoms/visual-spatial-problems