Many family caregivers of aging adults who have Alzheimer’s disease lament that their elderly family member didn’t get diagnosed early enough.
This is a completely valid concern, but what is it that makes early diagnosis and detection so difficult for so many people? The answers might surprise you.
It’s Easy to Make Allowances for Unusual Incidents
When an elderly family member has one or two unusual incidents, it’s easy for everyone involved to chalk those up to being tired or some other explanation. The incidents in question might involve forgetting something that normally isn’t a problem or your elderly family member feeling disoriented. The problem can come in when you start to realize that you are making far more allowances than you really should for unusual situations.
Aging Sometimes Feels Like Alzheimer’s Disease
It’s also easy for the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease to be mistaken for normal signs of aging. This can especially be the case if your elderly family member minimizes some of the symptoms that she’s experiencing. She might attribute them to nervousness in some situations or simply feeling out of place in a new location.
The Symptoms Can Show up Gradually
There’s no exact timetable for Alzheimer’s disease symptoms to progress for your elderly family member. Everyone is different and experiences this illness in different degrees. When that is happening, those symptoms might not be as obvious because they’re more spread out than you might expect. Having senior care providers available can actually help you to be more aware of these symptoms more quickly.
Your Aging Adult Might Hide Some Symptoms
In some cases, your senior might be concerned about what is happening to her and fear that it is indeed Alzheimer’s disease. This can make her do some unexpected things, such as hiding some of the symptoms that she’s experienced. Even if she doesn’t fully realize why she’s hiding those symptoms, it can be easy enough for her to work around them for a while.
If your elderly family member hasn’t been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease yet but you suspect that it’s a concern, make sure that you talk with her doctor. He can assess her condition and help you rule this possibility in or out.
If you or an aging family member are considering home care services in Buckhead, GA, please contact the caring staff at Caring Companions of Atlanta 470-514-5954.
We provide quality non-medical services to our clients in their homes or in a facility if that’s where they live. Our staff is available for care plans for extensive care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week or as little as 4 hours per visit. Reach out to us, and one of our outstanding administrative staff will meet with potential clients to assist them and their families in designing an effective, personal plan of care.