Uticopa Blog

• Forgetting a new acquaintance's name. We all do it.
• Forgetting an old acquaintance's name. Embarrassing, but we all do this, too.
• Remembering in the middle of the night that you forgot to put out tomorrow's rubbish bag for pick-up. The fact that you eventually remembered is positive.
• You can't remember where you parked the car. Common.
• Feeling you can't be bothered to attend book group, an activity you usually love.
• Wanting to chill alone every so often is normal. However, don't make it a habit; isolating yourself socially is also a red flag for depression.
• Losing your sunglasses - again. To misplace is human. To finally find the sunglasses in the refrigerator or the bin, on the other hand, is possible Alzheimer's.
• Your partner elbows you at a party and says, "Oh please, don't tell that story again." Over the years, couples often build up a trove of anecdotes (how we met, the time we sat next to a movie star on a plane, how we bought our house at a bargain price, the day we learned our son was a genius). However, alarm bells should ring if you hear, "But you just told that story five minutes ago" - and not remembering doing so.
• Not recognizing your own reflection for a second after a new haircut or new glasses. More worrying: Still thinking, after a moment's pause, that the person staring back at you in the mirror is someone else.
• Forgetting an appointment, or arriving on the wrong day. Don't worry unless this is happening routinely, instead of once in a blue moon.
• Feeling old and baffled because you can't work out how to text message, set up broadband access in your house or stream video to your TV set (though the 10-year-old next door can). However, worrying signs are when you can no longer follow a recipe or tell a cell phone from a TV remote.
• Saying things like, "that thingamabob" or "you know, that actress who was in that movie ...".  Common.
• Can't find your car keys.  Common. However, alarm bells should ring if you  pick up a car key and you don't know what it's for.

What exactly is Alzheimer's, and who's at risk?

Although certain basic lifestyle changes can help delay the onset of the disease in some people, the exact cause of Alzheimer's disease isn't yet understood.

Alzheimer's is a progressive neurodegenerative brain disorder: Normal brain cell function is gradually destroyed, leading to irreversible declines in memory, cognition, and behavior. But what causes things to go awry remains unknown. It may be that Alzheimer's has several causes or that the interplay between genetic makeup and certain risk factors determines who's affected.