
Alzheimer's Disease Support Group
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia and characterized by progressive cognitive deterioration with declining activities of daily living and neuropsychiatric symptoms or behavioral changes. An early symptom is memory loss (amnesia), usually manifesting as minor forgetfulness that becomes pronounced with illness progression, with relative...
http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_stages_of_alzheimers.asp
If this link doesn't work just go to www.alz.org, then the section on Alzheimers Disease.
There is also a great interactive tour of the Brain which explains with excellent visuals what is going on inside.
Hope this helps.
He can no longer do any kind of complex work but simple jobs such as changing the oil on our generator are getting difficult for him, last time he was confused about what kind of oil to use (this is a job he's done for over ten years on a regular basis). He will no longer even try to use power tools (thank god) because he is afriad of them.
He still knows the people he sees regularly but some people he's known a long time he can't remember their names, just that they "look familiar and might be a friend or neighbor". He has forgotten one of our sons has a daughter (Alexis turned two in Oct.) but he doesn't see them and we rarely hear from them so she isn't really real to him.
The last time we drove in the snow he told me he was glad I wouldn't let him drive anymore, it was scarey to him.
He can no longer listen to an auidio book and understand it, most radio programs are to difficult for him to follow and many movies are hard because of the style or there are to many characters who look to much alike for him to distinguish who they are.
He can still do things like eat, shower and dress on his own but he has to be prompted to do these things. Even if he is hungry he will not look for food, but he is increasingly fearful that he will forget to take his meds. That is strange coming from a man who has almost never taken any kind of medication even when he was in pain because he hates pills.
On the other hand if you asked him to count backward he could, just don't ask him the day of the week, which year it is or directions to our house.
Thankyou Thank you Thank You..
good luck. Write me an email anytime.
Queenie