When Dr. Mehmet Oz first started noticing that his mother was acting differently, he didn’t pay too much attention to it. In a recent article, the host of the popular talk show series The Dr. Oz Show opened up about some of the early signs that he initially missed as symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
At first, his mom became increasingly stubborn. Next, more obvious changes occurred like her changing her daily makeup style that she had worn for decades and giving away her personal belongings.
As many people do when they notice early signs in loved ones, he chalked it up to her getting older and didn’t think to compare notes with his sister, who was also noticing small, but important differences in her behavior. Eventually, she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and her behavior changes started to make sense.
While memory impairment can present in unique ways for everyone, some things to look out for include:
- Unable to recognize sarcasm
- Falling down
- Staring (the lack of ability to control their eye movement)
- Loss of knowledge
- Insulting personality
- New compulsive behaviors
After his mother’s diagnosis, Dr. Oz set out on a mission to learn as much as he could about the early signs and risk factors. To share his experience and what he has learned, he will be focusing an upcoming episode on his experience with Alzheimer’s.
I applaud his efforts to share his family experience to help others.
If you’re a caregiver to someone with Alzheimer’s or have been impacted by it in your family, Dr. Oz is inviting you to be a studio guests on an upcoming filming of The Dr. Oz Show. To be considered, you can fill out the application with your story about how Alzheimer’s has impacted your life here.
We can all benefit from connecting, sharing knowledge and supporting one another through the journey of caring for someone with Alzheimer’s. Becoming Dementia Aware is an important step in enhancing the lives of those in your care.