Alzheimer's causes a gradual decline in memory, thinking and reasoning skills

Symptoms depend on the stage of the disease:

Early symptoms include:

• Memory loss
• Misplacing items
• Forgetting the names of places and objects
• Repeating themselves regularly, such as asking the same question several times
• Becoming less flexible and more hesitant to try new things

Middle-stage symptoms include:

• Increasing confusion and disorientation
• Obsessive, repetitive or impulsive behavior
• Delusions (believing things that are untrue)
• Problems with speech or language (aphasia)
• Disturbed sleep
• Changes in mood, such as frequent mood swings, depression and feeling increasingly anxious, frustrated or agitated
• Difficulty in performing spatial tasks, such as judging distances
• Agnosia

Later symptoms include:

• Difficulty in changing position or moving around without assistance
• Considerable weight loss – although some people eat too much and put on weight
• Gradual loss of speech
• Significant problems with short and long-term memory

Common symptoms and their severity as reported by people on Patientslikeme.

At a later stage, complications may include:

• Pneumonia and other infections
• Falls and fractures
• Bedsores
• Malnutrition or dehydration