What is the first thing a person with Alzheimer’s forgets?

She Alzheimer’s It is one of the most prevalent neurodegenerative diseases today. In Spain, affecting nearly five million people according to the Spanish Confederation of Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias (@AlzheimerCeafa). The Brain Foundation, on the other hand, the number of patients worldwide in 2020 is estimated at 115 million. In addition, they warn, it is expected that the number increase in the coming years.

One of the most obvious signs that this disease can be detected by progressive loss of memory and cognitive skills. However, what exactly the first thing you will forget? The answer to this question is very relevant, because it can be triggering our alerts and allowing early diagnosis.

Warning signs

So, even the disease can affect each person differently, there are some general patterns that may be useful. This usually happens the aspects of memory that suffer first.

• Recent memory. Information that has just been learned or things that have just happened do not stay in the brain and are easily forgotten. In this case, it always is people repeat questions and conversations because they did not properly store the information and They always lose the thread.
• Daily routine. Brushing teeth, dressing or cooking are activities that we do every day. At the onset of the disease, These everyday tasks can be forgotten.
• Names and faces. One of the most obvious, and at the same time most devastating, signs the forgetting of familiar faces. Family and friends became a blur and those affected began difficulty knowing who the people around them are, which causes a significant psychological impact on the sick and their environment.
• Disorientation. Another of the most obvious signs is that people are lost in familiar places and unable to reach their destination or return home to create dangerous situations.
• Errors in objects. Generally, everyone can slip and forget where they left their glasses or cell phone. If you feel that a close person or yourself is starting to forget these things often, this can be one of the first alerts.