I lost my wife to Alzheimers – symptoms of dementia
Alzheimers Research UK explain 'what is dementia?'
Having first met working in a restaurant in Levenshume, Manchester, David and Margaret fell in love.
Married in December 1971, the pair embarked on a joint career in hotel management, living and working together across the world.
Now, over five decades later, David detailed his final chapter with Margaret and her losing battle with Alzheimer’s disease in his book Mirror, Mirror.
Stepping in to talk about the early signs of Alzheimer’s disease is the Managing Director at Baycroft Care Homes, Stewart Mcginn.
One of the earliest signs a loved one could be suffering from Alzheimer’s disease is when they are “continuously misplacing things or placing items in strange places”.
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If you have a partner, parent, or friend who is usually organised, if they start to become forgetful as to where they’ve put things, it could be a warning sign.
“They may also experience difficulty focusing on tasks that require organisation and planning due to Alzheimer’s disease,” said Mcginn.
A more obvious symptom of the brain disease is developing problems with language.
Mcginn explained: “Regularly struggling to remember words or substituting them in sentences with random words can indicate someone is suffering.
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“In addition to this, one of the most noticeable signs of dementia is recurring memory loss.
“Examples of behaviour could include re-reading the newspaper, re-telling stories, or forgetting an acquaintance’s name.”
There can be lesser-known symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease to be on the lookout for, such as mood swings.
“This can be a person’s mood quickly changing from calm to angry or emotional without reason, or if they become generally more withdrawn or anxious,” Mcginn elaborated.
If you have a loved one who is displaying signs of dementia, the first port of call is to arrange a doctor’s appointment.
“From then, the doctor will decide whether the patient needs to be referred to a specialist, including a neurologist, psychiatrist, psychologist or geriatrician,” said Mcginn.
“There are a number of dementia charities and support lines that can comfort your loved one during this difficult time.”
David Allott has written a raw account of his experience of his wife’s dementia in his book Mirror, Mirror.
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