7 Signs Santa Has Alzheimer’s
With the holidays approaching, it is time to check in on aging loved ones. The following tips from www.caring.com address some of the signs that all may not be right with your aging parents or grandparents. We help families every day who are struggling with dementia and Alzheimer’s. Visit us at http://angelcaremn.com, serving St. Louis Park MN and surrounding areas.
7 Signs Santa Has Alzheimer’s
Doctors know well that the holidays bring an upturn in families noticing worrisome signs of memory loss in older adults. No disrespect to Santa intended, but Jolly Old St. Nick also shows a worrisome number of not-so-jolly potential symptoms of dementia.
Only a doctor, of course, can diagnose Alzheimer’s disease. But Mrs. Claus would do well to take a closer look at the following warning signs, which warrant a cognitive evaluation and medical exam in order to rule out other possible causes of dementia or — though it seems impossible to imagine in someone known for his ho, ho, ho — depression.
1. Santa keeps making that list and checking it twice.
People with early memory loss are often aware that they’re slipping, and they struggle to employ strategies to help them keep track. Writing notes to themselves is one way they do this. Eventually, though, the person with cognitive trouble forgets ever having written a list in the first place and then never consults it later.
Why does Santa check his list twice? Maybe he’s just careful — after all, it’s a long list. But obsessively checking and rechecking a note or the clock — often because you literally can’t remember just having done so — is a common sign of memory loss. The ability to record these new memories is impaired.
2. He wears the same clothes over and over.
Have you ever seen Santa wearing anything besides that fur-trimmed red suit? Wearing the same clothes repeatedly is another hallmark of advancing cognitive difficulty.
It’s possible, of course, that the red suit is just Santa’s chosen uniform, a la Steve Jobs — but even Jobs ditched his signature black turtleneck and jeans for sleeping or sports. If Mrs. Claus has to sneak the suit out of the room at night in order to wash it every now and again, or if there are blue and yellow suits hanging in the closet that never get selected, she might consider this a red flag.
