Mild dementia due to Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease often is diagnosed in the mild dementia stage. This is when it becomes clear to family and doctors that a person has significant trouble with memory and thinking. The symptoms affect daily functioning.

In the mild dementia stage, people may experience:

• Memory loss of recent events. Individuals may have a hard time remembering newly learned information. They may ask the same question over and over.
• Trouble with problem-solving, complex tasks and sound judgments. Planning a family event or balancing a checkbook may become overwhelming. Many people experience lapses in judgment, such as when making financial decisions.
• Changes in personality. People may become quiet or withdrawn, especially in socially challenging situations. They may be irritable or angry when that's not typical for them. Reduced motivation to complete tasks also is common.
• Trouble organizing and expressing thoughts. At this stage, people may not be able to find the right words to describe objects. They may have trouble clearly expressing ideas.
• Getting lost or misplacing belongings. Individuals have increasing trouble finding their way around, even in familiar places. It's also common to lose or misplace things, including valuable items.