Alzheimer disease symptoms are mild when they start, but get worse over time.
Early Phase
Common problems in the early phase are:
- Forgetfulness with attempts to hide forgetting
- Losing items or putting them in the wrong place
- Getting lost while driving or walking in familiar places
- Lack of interest in activities
- Problems with focus
- Problems recalling words
- A change from complex to simple sentences
- Problems doing math
- Problems doing fine motor tasks, such as putting a key in the keyhole or buttoning a shirt
- Problems doing daily tasks, such as finances, home tasks, and hygiene
- Repeating questions and stories
- Wordy speech that does not make sense
- Problems naming things
- Signs of depression
Middle Phase
Long-term memory may be good, but short-term memory begins to fail in this phase. Other changes may be:
- Problems sleeping
- Becoming less social and less aware of the feelings of others
- Needing help to make decisions
- Needing help bathing, grooming, dressing
- Forgetting one’s own history of personal events
- Personality changes, such as sudden mood shifts, anger, worry, or fearfulness
Advanced Phase
Abilities decline quickly in this phase. Changes may be:
- Problems using language
- Getting easily disoriented
- Problems with urine control
- Walking with a shuffle
- Falling often
- Showing little emotion
- Pain and problems moving
- Weight loss and problems swallowing
- Mental health problems, such as mood changes and seeing things that are not there
Last reviewed September 2019 by
EBSCO Medical Review Board
Rimas Lukas, MD
Last Updated: 10/30/2020
