Alzheimer disease causes many of the same symptoms as other types of dementia. However, people with Alzheimer disease may have an especially hard time remembering recent events.

Alzheimer disease causes problems with:

  • Memory
  • Using language
  • Personality
  • Thinking clearly

These problems make it hard to do normal daily tasks, such as shopping, making meals, and managing money. People also may have trouble behaving appropriately.

Early symptoms of Alzheimer disease:

  • Forgetting things that just happened
  • Feeling depressed, afraid, anxious, or having few emotions
  • Having trouble making decisions
  • Having trouble finding the right word to say
  • Getting confused by things seen and heard
  • Finding it hard to drive a car
  • Trouble falling or staying asleep
Later symptoms of Alzheimer disease:
  • Trouble remembering past events
  • Not recognizing familiar people and things
  • Wandering
  • Getting irritated easily to the point where the person may lash out and hit others
  • Not knowing the time or place
  • Needing help to do daily activities, such as eating, getting dressed, and bathing
  • Unable to hold urine

Eventually, people with Alzheimer disease lose almost all brain function. They can’t get out of bed or even move. Eventually, they can’t even swallow food that’s placed in their mouth