An individual with AD might put a dress on backwards, or walk down the interstate at two in the morning. An individual with Alzheimer's may have problems with abstract reasoning, such as doing simple mathematics. Many of us might find balancing our checkbooks or manipulating fractions in a recipe daunting tasks. Alzheimer's patients may not only have trouble with bank accounts, they may forget what addition is, or even what numbers are used for in normal society. Additionally, they may lose so-called executive functions, such as the ability to plan or strategize.
Most people forget their car keys or misplace checkbooks from time to time.
Someone with Alzheimer's, however, may put their wallet in the freezer or look for their glasses in the family aquarium, and appear to think this to be perfectly normal behavior. It is a familiar part of the human condition to feel melancholy or moody from time to time. An individual with Alzheimer's can exhibit extremely rapid emotional outbursts, however. These might start with sudden laughter followed by extreme anger and shouting and end with wracking sobs, all experienced with no apparent rhyme or reason. A person with AD who may have been cheerful and outspoken may turn confused, timid, and frightened.