Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia in older people. It affects the parts of the brain that control thought, memory, and language. A small percentage Alzheimer's patients are under 50 years of age. However, most are over 65 years of age. Memory loss - Memory loss is usually the first noticible sign of Alzheimer's.
Memory loss starts slowly, but soon the episodes become more and more frequent.
People with Alzheimer's forget things very often. They have trouble remembering answers to questions they may have asked a short time earlier. This causes the person to ask the same question repeatedly. As the disease progresses, patients have trouble performing tasks that they have done for a lifetime. Simple, little everyday tasks that we perform without even thinking about may become major obstacles for the Alzheimer's victim.