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My Dad was diagnosed with AD four years ago. Sometimes my Mom and I discuss his symptoms, and she realizes that he exhibited some of them for years in ways that didn't really adversely affect his life, but that they are magnified now with his Alzheimer's. For example, my Dad was never good with directions or finding a location, even with a map. He didn't know east from west, or north from south. My Mom always had to be the direction-giver while traveling. My Dad was always a great driver, but for the decade leading up to his diagnosis he was slowly declining in this area. Dad never liked to read. He slept a lot in his easy chair. He was never a social person. For years, after never caring about what came in the mail, he began waiting on the mailman and had to be the first person to get to the mailbox. He'd go through everything before my mom could even look at it. If they didn't get any mail he thought the mailman lost it or kept it for himself. He was the same way about telephone calls. (Paranoid about both, I guess.) Now he's back to the point where he couldn't care less about either the mail or telephone calls; yet at the same time he worries that the phone doesn't work and makes me check for a dial tone every day when I visit. I've read that its possible to look back over the years and notice things like this, without ever really noticing them when they're actually happening, and now seeing that the AD patient began having symptoms long before they were really noticeable. I hope I'm making sense. Has anyone else here looked back and can now see how their loved one's AD has progressed?

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As I look back over the past 5 years, and maybe even before, I am very aware NOW of the tell-tale signs of Alzheimer's my husband displayed. No one...not me, not his doctors, not his neurologists...NO ONE said anything to me. consequently, he made some very costly errors in judgment when it came to buying cars, "toys", houses, etc. We now live with the consequences because I thought his decisions were just his normal selfishness and "no one will ever treat me any better than I treat myself" attitude. The more I would point out the error of his thinking, the more he dug in his heels and did what he wanted. So, if you notice things which are not necessarily out of character but seem stronger or to be escalating, talk to the doctor. Get your loved one examined. Document behavior and save yourself...and your loved one...a lot of tears and sorrow. This disease cannot be stopped, but it can be slowed down. Early treatment is the key. My husband's doctor is having a very difficult time piecing together everything that has gone on because it's been so long and we have moved to a different state...because I let my sick husband convince me that it was best for both of us. Not so. Now neither of us has any friends and we are in deep financial trouble. I can't find a job because I'm over 60, and even though I have mostly up-to-date skills, no one wants to hire me. They don't tell me that, but they aren't fooling me. I've been on both sides of the desk, and I always chose experience because these folks have a proven track record. Very frustrating.
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Virtualhorizon, my husband also demonstrates many of the the things you have mentioned. His worries about his other house drove me nuts for a while...now that he is on medication, a lot of these symptoms have subsided...not stopped, but at least it's not day after day. Funny you should mention about the prescription bottles; my husband did the same thing. He always had some "reason" to keep them...for little screws, nuts, etc., but he never used them; just collected them. When we moved, I would throw them out. Never thought of it as a symptom of AD or other dementia, but I sure do now. I think they should list the signs of AD/dementia like they do strokes, heart attacks, etc., everywhere and anywhere. Maybe more people would become aware of this disease save everyone a lot of grief down the road.
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Yes, I have noticed things now. For instance he never wanted to make a decision. He always made me do it. He struggled with the checkbook which eventually led to showing me that there was something wrong. That went on for at least 5 years before I finally realized we had $5000 in bounced checks. And he used to make this funny sound with his lips "book-oop-a-doop" Now he does it all the time when he is stressed and when he it trying to get to sleep at night. I want to scream at him, but I don't. He goes to sleep pretty quickly every night.
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YES! I noticed little things years before, but mom was so young. She was "officially" diagnosed at 58, but looking back there were things in the EOAD checklist well back into her early 40s, maybe even late 30s. She was terrible with money, in fact my parents divorced over that in her early 40s. She was terrible with direction, and terrible impulse control. She was paranoid about everything. At 61 she started wandering and since I'm a "sandwhich" generation girl who works f/t and raising my kids, we had to place her in a secure memory unit for 24 hour supervision. It such a sad disease, and moves so fast. :( Almost a year later now she still knows me, but her concept of time is so messed up she doesnt want me to visit more than 15 mins or so at a time. Its so very sad.
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Dear Virtualhorizon,
YES, YES, and many more yes's!! Now that I look back, I can honestly say that it was a very, very slow process. It took years before Mom was finally diagnosed properly with AD. Since its been years I cannot remember everything that I noticed coming on. At first I just thought that Mom was acting up, getting mad and staying mad and moody on purpose and for nothing, so I just ignored her when she acted like that. Gosh, do I regret that now. She was like that a real long time. Then really, really slowly, I noticed different symptoms coming up but I still didn't connect the dots. I was in my own world and just didn't see it coming. Only until years later did I tell sis and bro that I think that something is "wrong" with Mom, but still couldn't connect the dots and to this day I feel guilty and very bad about it. They were in more denial than I was. They didn't even believe me. Because every time they would come over they would say, "nothing is wrong with Mom, she's acting normal, she remembers things really well." So sure, they would see her for less than one hour or for only a couple of hours, so of course they didn't believe me cause they didn't spend any length of time with her as I did. I emailed and emailed them constantly about it but I would be ignored. So I finally told them, yeah, you see her what, once a week? 2-3x a month? I see her every day and I know something is wrong so could the two of you get off your butts and believe me and we got to do something about this? I know there is no such thing as a perfect CG even though we try, but the guilty and regretful feelings remain.
Your question is a very wise one to ask because I believe that most people cannot see it coming because its such a slow and progressive disease. Then Mom had to have a colonoscopy, and that sent it from a scale of 2 to 100. It just exploded overnight. Then the surgery made it go over the edge. The stress of all she had to go through made the disease overwhelm me, it went up like the speed of light. It's very hard, because, after all, who has the experience with being around people with oncoming or ongoing AD if you've never seen it before in anyone, especially family?
And so, it just advanced to the point that I had to hire CG's to help me out cause Mom could not be at home alone and never left alone any more. I was caring for an adult baby. She still knew who I was and loved me so much, but I was terribly hurt cause I was losing the loving lady that I once knew.
Mom is gone now and the pain is still there. It's always there, every day, just the degree changes. Hope this helps. God bless you.
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Yes, 10 years eariler. Mom was out running errands in town and she told me when she came to an intersection she familiar with, she didn't know where she was for a few seconds. About 5-6 years ago, she was boiling water and forgot about it. When she discovered the pot on the stove, the water had boiled out. When she lifted it from the stove, the bottom melted off and fell on the kitchen floor melting the linoleum. Mom was diagnosed in Nov. of 2010 when she started having confusion. I knew these could be early signs because dad also had Alzheimer's, he passed away in 2003. Just because an elderly person forgets a word does not mean dementia. A lot of it is age related memory loss and is normal. When the confusion starts, get them checked out.
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balexander9: check out the LBDA website (Lewy Body Dementia Assoc). I think you'll find some interesting info there about your husband's condition. Although my husband was diagnosed with Parkinson's about a year and a half ago and Alzheimer's more recently, now the doctor is saying he more likely has Lewy Body Dementia and is doing some tests very soon to confirm his theory. Please note that the previous diagnosis were not made by this doctor so he is not changing his mind. LBD/Parkinsonism are very often misdiagnosed, and as everyone knows, none of these can truly be confirmed until autopsy. The treatments are different than for AD, so the more tests that can be done to better determine the proper diagnosis, the better the treatment will be and the better life for our loved ones. There is no such thing as an exact science; it's all a guessing game, kind of like predicting the weather! However, when the diagnosis is wrong 50% of the time, everyone suffers!
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Great topic to keep caregivers (or up-and-coming caregivers) on the lookout. There is so much information online now regarding unrecognized symptoms. Try "5 signs of Alzheimer's that you might not be aware of" on Assisted Living Today. I, too, had family members notice issues like the ones mentioned here with my Grandfather. I was too young at the time, but encourage my family to talk about it now, so we can all be more aware.
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I think it is a long term brain disorder that morphs into dementia. I perceived Mother's detachment, irritability, and critical attitude since I was little. She was not nice, not emotionally there for us, no direction, just make sure you do your chores. Many here call it "narcissism." I second the Emotion. The only normal person was my wonderful but uneducated step-father, and he loved his bitchy trophy wife:(
The biggest clue was in 2006 when she accused the carpet cleaners of stealing her jewelry. Then after her last husband passed in September 2008, she got involved in an affair with Obama, and he was staying in the (un) basement. In California, we don't have basements. His daughters were very nice to her, but what to do abot Michelle? HMMMMM?
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For a couple of years before Mom's diagnosis of AD, I knew something was wrong. But she wouldn't see a doctor. Then one day she came into my room and said.."Do you know where my daughter is? I've been looking everywhere for her."
My heart was in my throat. So, it was time to MAKE her go to a doctor.

Looking back, I believe there were symptoms a least 5 years before. I mostly ignored them because they were few and very far between.
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