• Recent memory loss that affects job skills
• Difficulty performing familiar tasks
• Problems with language
• Disorientation of time and place
• Poor or decreased judgment
• Problems with abstract thinking
• Problems misplacing things
• Changes in mood or behavior
• Changes in personality
• Loss of initiative

Coping with a Diagnosis

When someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer's, the response is often emotional but varies widely from person to person and may change over time.

• Shock: This feeling of numbness protects people from bad news. The initial shock is often followed by denial.
• Denial: This reflects a sense that nothing is wrong, which a person in the early stages of the disease may easily believe. It may also lead the patient to seek a "cure" or to believe he or she can "beat" the disease.
• Anxiety: This arises from worry and fear over everything from a loved one's reaction to financial hardships resulting from the disease's progression.
• Anger: This is perfectly natural, and usually involves a sense of injury over the unfairness of the situation. But anger is frequently directed at loved ones who are vital support for the individual.
• Depression: This is often expressed as a lack of hope, and includes mood shifts, fatigue, and low appetite. When feelings of despair do not go away, or if they seem out of control, it is time to seek help.
• Grief: The diagnosis may lead the individual to grieve for a lost lifestyle, work, family and social roles, and his or her future, as he or she might grieve over the death of a loved one.

The Alzheimer's Association has a Helpline that provides education, support, community referrals, and other information over the phone. For info, call 1-800-272-3900.