Alzheimer’s disease: a chalkboard eraser in the mind As global aging accelerates, Alzheimer’s disease has become a serious social problem. Although Alzheimer’s disease (as the name implies) is a common disease in the elderly population, some patients with early onset of the disease begin to develop it even in their 50s. Alzheimer’s disease, medically known as “Alzheimer’s disease” (AD for short), is characterized by a progressive loss of memory. Despite the name “Alzheimer’s disease,” many patients do not look as “demented” as one might think. Many elderly people still have a pleasant, even graceful appearance, and retain basic manners. Unlike ordinary memory loss, Alzheimer’s patients have difficulty remembering new events, but they remember long-ago events vividly, giving the impression to outsiders that they have no memory problems. Along with memory loss comes a loss of intelligence and the ability to learn new things, such as the difficulty of learning how to use a new TV remote control or set-top box. The trouble is, however, that the diminished intelligence is often uneven, with some areas being well preserved and others poorly. It’s like using a chalkboard eraser to wipe a handful of things on a chalkboard full of writing; the areas that aren’t erased are naturally well retained. This is very confusing and the reason why many family members ignore or don’t notice, or even deny when doctors suspect that they have Alzheimer’s disease. As children, if we are careful, we can still detect the unusual in our parents from the traces of daily life. Why not take a careful look and see if your parents have any of the following symptoms! 1, just happened, turn around and do not remember Often repeat things that have been said many times, forget whether they have eaten or medicine, do not remember what was said in the phone call they just received. It is difficult to learn new things. Often forget to put salt in stir-fry or repeat salt, forget to turn off the gas after cooking or forget that something is still cooking on the stove causing it to burn. 2. I don’t know what to do even if I am familiar with it. I find it difficult to do things that I used to be able to do quickly, and I can’t arrange what to do first and what to do second. It is difficult to do daily chores, such as forgetting the steps of cooking your best dish or making it less tasty than before. You are slower than before and often hesitate to do things. 3. Difficulty in understanding what is said Language skills deteriorate, you forget simple words, you have difficulty finding words, you have difficulty understanding what is said or written, and you forget the names of everyday objects. 4.Lower ability to understand and solve things Can’t keep up with other people’s conversations and can’t understand simple things; has no concept of priorities and often can’t pay bills on time 5.Lack of initiative, need to be rushed to do things No interest in previous hobbies, always sitting, unwilling to go out for a walk, even need to be rushed to eat. 6.Depressed mood, sometimes childish behavior Depressed mood, indifferent, showing depression, sometimes moody, and childish behavior. 7.Lose the ability to judge time and things Can’t judge the relationship between weather and dressing correctly, and will appear to wear cotton clothes in the summer and single clothes in the cold winter. Cannot distinguish between truth and falsehood, easily misled by false propaganda and deceived. 8, often put things in strange places appear such as put the iron in the washing machine, put the heater in the closet, hide food under the pillow or in the clothes pocket, hide money in the trash can and other strange behavior that makes people laugh and cry. 9. Suspicious personality, often suspecting others of stealing things Becoming suspicious, as forgetting often cannot find things (mostly worthless things), they suspect that the nanny or daughter-in-law, etc. stole them, and are convinced. Previously helpful, now will become stingy and mean. 10. Confused about time, place, and people Confused about the change of seasons, not knowing what year it is, and getting lost even in the neighborhood where they have lived for a long time. I can’t recognize my relatives or friends I know very well, and I can’t recognize my son and grandson. “Old and confused? When the above symptoms or other unusual manifestations are noticed, it is best to take the elderly to a psychiatric hospital or a psychiatric department of a general hospital as soon as possible for evaluation and further examination by a professional doctor. Those with a family history of Alzheimer’s disease, such as immediate family members (parents, siblings, uncles, aunts, etc.) who have Alzheimer’s disease or are “senile”, should be screened at the above institutions as soon as possible if they experience a significant decline in memory, work ability or efficiency. In addition to general cognitive assessment, it is advisable to undergo comprehensive blood tests and cranial MRI scans if possible to understand brain degeneration for early intervention. Although there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease worldwide, early use of symptomatic drugs such as meperidine and cholinesterase inhibitors (e.g. donepezil) can be effective in early stage patients, and the rate of progression will be slowed down in some patients. It cannot stop the progression of the disease, but it can at least partially improve the quality of life of patients and their families. If the disease progresses to the middle and late stages before treatment, the results are usually not good and the family burden and the patient’s quality of life will be seriously affected. Therefore, early recognition of Alzheimer’s disease and early treatment are very crucial.