10 Early Warning Signs & Symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease

Typical Age-Related Memory Loss vs. Alzheimer's

The Alzheimer’s Association says it’s normal for people to occasionally have memory lapses as they age. For example, a healthy person may forget the name of someone he or she just met, while people with dementia may forget the name of a longtime friend. The following table, taken from the Alzheimer’s Association website, contrasts typical age-related memory loss with signs of Alzheimer’s:

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10 Early Signs & Symptoms: Alzheimers

How To Reduce The Risk of Alzheimer's...

Here's how various factors increase the chances, by percentage, of developing Alzheimer's:

• Physical inactivity 21%
• Depression 15%
• Smoking 11%
• Midlife hypertension 8%
• Midlife obesity 7%
• Low education 7%
• Diabetes 3%

Source: Deborah Barnes and Kristine Yaffe, University of California, San Francisco

Seniors's Greatest Fears: Cancer and Alzheimer’s...

41% — Percentage of seniors who fear Cancer the most.

31% — Percentage of seniors who fear Alzheimer's the most.

18% — Percentage of seniors who have made financial arrangements in the event they do become ill with Alzheimer's.
 
Cancer and Alzheimer’s are the number one and two diseases seniors fear the most, according to a 2010 survey of people 50 and older conducted by MetLife’s Mature Market Institute.

Ranking first was cancer at 41%, followed by Alzheimer’s at 31%. Yet in a telephone survey of roughly 1,000, only 18% said they have made financial arrangements in the event they do become ill with Alzheimer’s. That’s despite the finding that 37% say it’s important to make plans if felled by the disease.

More than 5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s, a number that is expected to grow as baby boomers age, MetLife researchers state.

Rounding out the Top 5 most-feared diseases are: heart disease and stroke (both at 8%) and diabetes (6%).

Source: MetLife’s Mature Market Institute