Does my mum have Alzheimer’s Disease (she had articulate English grammar skills by reading books) ?
If there’s one thing I noticed about my mum, it’s how her grammar skills are degrading over time. She can’t seem to differentiate between past, present and future tenses when she was a voracious reader. She doesn’t know difference between sell and serve (she asked a restaurant employee about a food with the word sell, not serve. She’s also been asking for directions through roads she’s been driving through years ago.
Is her grammar skill an indicator of Alzheimer’s disease?
Anonymous2021-03-26T08:29:29Z
There are several conditions that can impact language skills. She would need to have some testing done to see which issue she is having.
Testing SOON may mean more treatment options are available. Waiting could mean that some issues wouldn't be treatable.
no.. grammar is a poor indicator for Alzheimer’s disease.. it is like saying that when cats freak-out, it means that there is an Earth-quake pending.. there is some truth to it but often it is not.. she would be more forgetful of faces, names, events and tasks.. the language skills are often seen in more advanced cases of Alzheimer's - meaning, the memory loss and the poor higher brain function would be more noticeable by the time she has a problem with speech and language..
it is more likely that she has dementia due to old age, especially if she is above 60 years old.. which is similar but the effect on the language skills are more noticeable than in Alzheimer's.. she would have trouble finding certain words while speaking, for example "this book is very.. .. .. is very.. .. i cannot find the words!!"..
if she has issues in remembering events, fond memories and certain names that she should be familiar with, then maybe we can consider Alzheimer’s - and the memory issues has to be more global, meaning she can't remember a lot of things (family trips, her fond memories with your dad, or other important milestones) and not just one or two memories or faces.. and.. and all the best..