Have you been worried about an older person’s memory or thinking skills? If so, you’ve probably found yourself wondering if this could be Alzheimer’s, or another dementia.
What to do next? If you look online or ask people, the advice is generally this: tell the doctor.
This advice isn’t wrong, but it’s incomplete. Yes, you should tell the doctor. But you’ll dramatically improve your chances of getting to the bottom of things if you come to the doctor with useful information on what you’ve observed.
In fact, research has found that interviewing family members about the presence or absence of eight particular behaviors can be just as effective, when it comes to detecting possible Alzheimer’s, as certain office-based cognitive tests.
8 Alzheimer’s Behaviors to Track
For each of these behaviors, try to make note of the following:
- Whether there’s been a decline or change compared to the way your parent used to be
- Whether this seems to be due to memory and thinking, versus physical limitations such as pain, shortness of breath or physical disabilities
- When you – or another person – first noticed problems, and what you observed
- What kinds of problems you see your parent having now
If you don’t notice a problem in any of the following eight areas, make a note of this. (E.g., “No such problem noted.”) That way you’ll know you didn’t just forget to consider that behavior.
Have you noticed:
- Signs of poor judgment? This means behaviors or situations that suggest bad decisions. Examples include worrisome spending, or not noticing a safety issue others are concerned about.
- Reduced Interest in Leisure Activities? This means being less interested and involved in one’s usual favorite hobbies and activities. You should especially pay attention if there isn’t a physical health issue interfering with doing the activity.
- Repeating Oneself? Has your parent started repeating questions or stories more than he used to?
- Difficulty Learning to Use Something New? Common examples include having trouble with a new kitchen appliance or gadget. This can be a tricky one to decide on, given that gadgets become more complicated every year. But if you’ve noticed anything, jot it down.
- Forgetting the Year or Month? Especially once one stops working, it can be easy to lose track of the date or day of the week. But if you notice your parent forgetting the year or month, make a note of this.
- Difficulty Managing Money and Finances? Common examples include having trouble paying bills on time, struggling to balance the checkbook, or otherwise having more difficulty than one used to have managing finances.
- Problems with Appointments and Commitments? If you’ve noticed that your parent is having more trouble keeping track of appointments and plans, make note of this.
- Daily Struggles with Memory or Thinking? It’s normal for older adults to take a little longer to remember things, since many brain functions do slow a bit with aging. But it seems that your parent often can’t remember things that happened, or otherwise seems to be more confused with thinking, make note of this.
For more on diagnosing Alzheimer’s and other dementias
If you’re worried that your older relative might have dementia, I recommend you learn more here:
How We Diagnose Dementia: The Practical Basics to Know
You can also download my dementia assessment cheatsheet, which includes a handy checklist of what information to bring to the doctors.
Remember, being proactive usually leads to better results and less stress overall!
I particularly like this approach because it emphasizes empowering the caregiver or family member. Arriving at your doctor’s office with specific information and helpful hypothesis is a great approach. Thanks!
My mil I believe has Altzheimers Disease and LBD set in. The other relatives who sponsored her here from another country, dismiss the possibility of any type of neurological disorder. When she is checked out, it will be for medical assessment not mental assessment. All of the Medical tests come out normal, so they She is fine. They won’t do a mental assessment. This is wrong. I have no control over her mental needs. If I ask for help they either ignore me or yell at me saying I am complaining. Her ins would cover the proper mental treatment that could effect her medically in the future. They are doing what they think is right to do. I see no love, compassion or proper conduct. I will never forgive them. Me Nd my husband are left to “Carry The Burden.” Absence Without Heart!?
Hm, well if she is having memory or thinking problems, she should have an assessment that checks for medical causes but also documents her cognitive state and addresses any abnormalities.
If you are not in charge of what happens with her evaluation, that can be very frustrating, especially if you are being asked to take care of her.
You could consider looking for a therapist or professional, to help you discuss this issue within the family, or at least to help you set some limits on how you will be helping. Geriatric care managers are professionals that have experience with memory issues, they can’t do the complete evaluation or diagnosis on their own, but they would at least be well positioned to back up your concerns (or to reassure you). Good luck!
Alzheimers and dementia run rampant in my family. I feel like I’m in a catch-22 situation. I’m 55. Male. I was diagnosed with bipolar II a couple of years ago after decades of depression and severe chronic insomnia. Drugs used to treat both are often associated with decreased cognitive function and memory loss. Depression and insomnia wreak havoc on the brain by themselves. So this seems like a “choose your poison” type of scenario. Do you have any advice?
Thank you
The connection between use of medications and Alzheimer’s or other causes of cognitive impairment has been studied extensively, but we still don’t have a clear picture. It seems that the effects of medications like antihistamines, benzodiazepines and anticholinergics on cognition are real, but probably mostly short term and reversible.
Depression seems to be associated with the development of dementia, especially if the depression is recurrent, or comes on in later life. There isn’t good evidence that this is a causal relationship, and in fact late life depression could be the earliest symptom of dementia, rather than a cause of dementia.
My advice to a middle-aged person with a mood disorder who’s concerned about dementia risk, is to strive for an active lifestyle, avoid smoking and excessive alcohol use, eat a healthy, Mediterranean style diet and manage mood symptoms as well as possible. This may include taking antidepressant mediations for many people, which is preferable to having poorly managed mental health issues that get in the way of healthy habits.