Our experienced Geriatric Care Managers have assisted families with the difficult task of selecting senior care. Our lead Gerontologist and founder of My Mom n’ Pop, Susan B Geffen will help or assign another qualified Geriatric Care Manager to talk with you during this difficult time. To learn more about Susan B Geffen click here.
By filling out the form below, Susan can take a look at your case and contact you with the kind of care that is right for your family’s situation.
Check out Susan’s Elder Life Series videos to see how Susan has helped other families with finding Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia.
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10 Warning Signs of Alzheimer’s Disease
- Recent memory loss that affects your job skills. It’s normal to occasionally forget an assignment, deadline or friend’s name, but frequent forgetfulness or unexplainable confusion at home or in the workplace may signal problems.
- Difficulty performing familiar tasks. Busy people frequently get distracted. For example, you might leave something on the stove too long or not remember to serve part of a meal. People with Alzheimer’s might prepare a meal and not only forget to serve it, but forget they made it.
- Problems with language. Everyone has trouble finding the right word sometimes, but a person with Alzheimer’s may forget simple words or substitute inappropriate words, making his or her sentences difficult to understand.
- Disorientation of time and place. It’s normal to momentarily forget the day of the week or what you need from the store. But people with Alzheimer’s disease can become lost on their own street, not knowing where they are, how they got there or how to get home.
- Poor or decreased judgment. Choosing not to bring a sweater or coat along on a chilly night is a common mistake. A person with Alzheimer’s, however, may dress inappropriately in more noticeable ways, wearing a bathrobe to the store or several blouses on a hot day.
- Problems with abstract thinking. Balancing a checkbook can be challenging for many people, but for someone with Alzheimer’s, recognizing numbers or performing basic calculation may be impossible.
- Misplacing things. Everyone temporarily misplaces a wallet or keys from time to time. A person with Alzheimer’s disease may put these and other items in inappropriate places-such as an iron in the freezer, or a wristwatch in the sugar bowl, then not recall how they got there.
- Changes in mood or behavior. Everyone experiences a broad range of emotions, it’s part of being human. People with Alzheimer’s tend to exhibit more rapid mood swings for no apparent reason.
- Changes in personality. People’s personalities may change somewhat as they age. But a person with Alzheimer’s can change dramatically, either suddenly or over a period of time. Someone who is generally easy going may become angry, suspicious or fearful.
- Loss of initiative. It’s normal to tire of housework, business activities, or social obligations, but most people retain or eventually regain their interest. The person with Alzheimer’s disease may remain disinterested and uninvolved in many or all her usual pursuits.
Frequently Asked Questions about Alzheimer’s Disease
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What is Alzheimer's Disease?
Alzheimer's is a disease that attacks the brain, causing impaired memory, thought and reasoning. It is considered the most common form of dementia, which is a severe loss of brain functioning that affects an individual's ability to perform daily tasks.
It is generally an illness that affects people late in life (most cases diagnosed are in people over 65), and one whose effects worsen the longer a person has the disease.
In addition to memory loss and affected judgment, Alzheimer's sufferers usually struggle with confusion, personality changes, and difficulty communicating, and most are eventually unable to take care of themselves. Unfortunately, because of the disease's affect on the brain, people with Alzheimer's often don't realize they're having these difficulties.
Alzheimer's Disease is named after Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German neurologist, who first described it in 1906. What Alzheimer's does is produce changes in the brain that kill brain cells, which lead to the symptoms of dementia. Alzheimer's is only one of many conditions that can cause dementia.
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What are the symptoms of Alzheimers?
Most often, the first symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease begin to develop after age 70, but they can begin as early as age 40 or as late as 90. Generally a person will show symptoms for a few years before it becomes evident that the changes are the result of something other than normal aging.
Often, people who don't see the person on a daily basis won't even notice anything, but family and close friends will notice changes. These changes include forgetfulness, including trouble remembering recent events or the names of familiar things and people. Though these symptoms may not be the cause for alarm, they are frustrating to the person who is experiencing them, and the person may begin to feel depressed about their confusion over their environment.
As the disease progresses, the symptoms become more noticeable, and serious enough to seek medical attention. These later symptoms may include forgetting how to do simple tasks, like tying shoes or brushing teeth.
Clear thinking is difficult, and frequently speaking, reading, writing, and understanding new concepts are difficult as well. When these symptoms are present, it's recommended to seek medical help and a doctor's diagnosis.
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How does Alzheimer's differ from Dementia?
They aren't interchangeable. Alzheimer's Disease and dementia are two very different things.
Dementia is a symptom. Pain is a symptom, and many different injuries and illnesses can cause pain. When you go to the doctor because you hurt, you won't be satisfied if the doctor diagnoses "pain" and sends you home. You want to know what is causing the pain, and how to treat it.
"Dementia" simply means the symptom of a deterioration of intellectual abilities resulting from an unspecified disease or disorder of the brain.
Alzheimer's Disease is one disease/disorder that causes dementia. Many other illnesses or "syndromes" can also cause dementia. Parkinson's Disease can cause dementia. A stroke can cause dementia. Even dehydration can cause dementia.
Many of the things that can cause dementia are treatable, even potentially curable.
If you have taken your elder to the doctor and received a diagnosis of "dementia" you haven't received a diagnosis at all. Unless you know what is causing the dementia you can't begin to treat it's root cause.
If your physician has diagnosed "dementia" it's time for a second opinion. You are probably dealing either with a physician who is not comfortable with the truth, or one who doesn't know how (or doesn't want to bother) to differentiate between all the possible causes of dementia. Either way, a skilled geriatrician or a neurologist who is comfortable with seniors would be a good place to start.
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How can Alzheimers be treated?
There is currently no cure for Alzheimer's, but scientific research is bringing us closer to a cure every day. Outstanding progress has already been made in unraveling the mysteries of Alzheimer's disease, including what causes it and what happens in the brain as the disease progresses. New understandings about these processes have already provided critical information about how doctors might prevent, delay, stop or even reverse the nerve cell damage that leads to the devastating symptoms of Alzheimer's. All around the world, scientists and pharmaceutical companies are now racing to develop treatments that address the underlying disease processes, some of which (or a combination of which) might effectively solve the Alzheimer's puzzle.
Scientific research is also providing valuable information about how drug and non-drug approaches to treatment can improve day-to-day functioning and maximize quality of life. Drug (pharmacological) treatments currently available are used to manage the cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer's, such as changes in thinking, memory and perception. They can't stop the disease, but they can slow the progression of symptoms in some people, at least for a while. While drug therapy is important and beneficial, especially in early stages, the management of Alzheimer's has evolved to include non-pharmacological therapies as integral aspects of care. These include various strategies aimed at managing problematic behaviors, including involvement in therapeutic activities, home or "environmental" modifications, and the use of appropriate communication techniques. Support and education for caregivers and family members is also crucial to the best care of people with Alzheimer's.
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Alzheimer's Planning
Persons with Alzheimer’s disease and their families face special legal and financial needs. Controlling the high costs of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s, and navigating the emotionally and physically demanding requirements of caregiving, requires much assistance.
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What Is Alzheimer’s Planning?
Alzheimer’s Planning is a sub-specialty of Elder Law.
It involves a unique and complex combination of estate planning, long-term care planning, asset protection, geriatric care coordination, Medicaid planning, and nursing home planning, and requires a specialized knowledge of the legal and financial problems and issues that are unique to families dealing with this devastating illness.
Sage Consulting focuses on the financial and legal issues surrounding Alzheimer’s disease. The Alzheimer’s Planning Team -- comprised of a geriatric care manager, a financial planner, and various paralegals and asset protection specialists -- provide life-long guidance, management, and oversight on vital issues such as medical and nursing care, housing options, financial management, estate planning, asset protection, Medicaid eligibility, and more.
One of the primary goals of Alzheimer’s Planning is to ensure the highest possible level of personal dignity and quality care for the remaining lifetime of the Alzheimer’s patient. To achieve this goal, it is often necessary to protect assets as quickly as possible, so that if the Alzheimer’s patient must enter a nursing home, Medicaid can be obtained as soon as possible.
Money that is protected through Alzheimer’s Planning can be used to provide the Alzheimer’s patient with an enhanced level of care and a better quality of life while in the nursing home and receiving Medicaid benefits.
Alzheimer’s Disease Blog Articles
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