Early-onset Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s disease primarily affects older people. However, up to 5% of the 5.2 million people in America with AD are in their 40s and 50s. People at this age are referred to as having early-onset Alzheimer’s (a.k.a. younger-onset). We sometimes hear of a familiar television or sports personality having this stage of Alzheimer’s. In the USA it is believed that approximately 200,000 people have early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

Often, early-onset AD is misdiagnosed as stress related, having too many projects one is trying to juggle, or other lifestyle practices. For those reasons and more, it is good to know the 10 signs of Alzheimer’s.

  1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life
  2. Challenges in planning or solving problems
  3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or at leisure
  4. Confusion with time or place
  5. Trouble understanding visual images and judging distances
  6. New problems with words in speaking or writing
  7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps
  8. Decreased or poor judgment
  9. Withdrawal from work or social activities
  10. Changes in mood and personality

If you believe you might have Alzheimer’s or early-onset Alzheimer’s all hope is not lost. It is too early to “throw in the towel.” The top two goals of The DADS Project are prevention and reversal of the disease. Be watching for a DADS Project workshop coming near your location.

  • To know about participating in a workshop click here