Common symptoms of Alzheimer’s dementia that are easily recognizable by families

ABSTRACT. The increase in dementia incidence among the elderly is directly related to aging, which is associated with changes in bodily functions and other health-related risk factors. Alzheimer's dementia is the most prevalent form of dementia, and individuals in the late stages are predominantly dependent on other family members. Therefore, it is important for families, as the closest support group, to recognize common symptoms early. Objective: To provide a family-friendly guide to the ten common symptoms of Alzheimer's dementia. Methods: This is a descriptive survey-based research that included 354 families comprising elderly people (≥60 years) residing in Jakarta. The instrument aimed at identifying ten common Alzheimer’s dementia symptoms in Indonesia. Descriptive statistical analysis based on frequency tables was used. Results: The participant’s major characteristics were age ≥66 years (52.3%), female sex (70.3%) and primary school education (87.3%). The predominant symptoms experienced by 42.4% of the elderly included forgetting recent events and asking questions and narrating a particular detail repeatedly. The remaining 35.6% demonstrated signs of forgetting where an item was placed and frequently suspecting others of theft and concealment of personal items. Conclusion: The symptoms of frequently forgetting new events and the location of personal belongings are of particular concern for families, as they have a propensity to progress and interfere with daily activities. Therefore, the families of affected individuals are expected to identify this symptom early on and present the affected individual for screening or examination at a health care facility.

摘要。老年群体痴呆发病率的升高与人口老龄化直接相关，而人口老龄化又与机体功能衰退及其他健康相关危险因素密切关联。阿尔茨海默病痴呆（Alzheimer's dementia）是最常见的痴呆类型，处于疾病晚期的患者大多需依赖其他家庭成员照料。因此，作为患者最亲近的支持群体，家属尽早识别阿尔茨海默病痴呆的常见症状具有重要意义。
目的：本研究旨在为家属提供一份涵盖阿尔茨海默病痴呆十大常见症状的家庭友好型指南。
方法：本研究为基于描述性调查的研究，共纳入雅加达市内354个居住有60岁及以上老年人的家庭。研究工具用于识别印度尼西亚人群中常见的十大阿尔茨海默病痴呆症状，分析采用基于频数表的描述性统计分析方法。
结果：受试者的主要人口学特征为：年龄≥66岁者占52.3%，女性占70.3%，小学学历者占87.3%。42.4%的老年人表现出的主要症状为遗忘近期事件、反复提问并重复讲述特定细节。另有35.6%的老年人出现遗忘物品放置位置、频繁怀疑他人偷窃或藏匿个人物品的症状。
结论：频繁遗忘新近事件及个人物品存放位置的症状尤其需要家属重点关注，因为此类症状易进展并对日常活动造成干扰。因此，家属应尽早识别此类症状，并陪同患者前往医疗机构接受筛查或检查。