According to the Alzheimer's Association, 50 million people worldwide are living with Alzheimer's disease and other related dementias. Alzheimer's is a brain disease that causes a slow decline in memory, thinking and reasoning skills. Hazel Wiley, D.O., neurologist and medical director of the Memory Disorder Center at Broward Health North, shares 10 warning signs of dementia.

1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life: Forgetting events, repeating yourself or relying on more aids to help you remember (like sticky notes or reminders).

2. Challenges in planning or solving problems: Having trouble paying bills or cooking recipes you have used for years.

3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work, or at leisure: Having problems with cooking, driving places, using a cell phone, or shopping.

4. Confusion with time or place: Having trouble understanding an event that is happening later or losing track of dates.

5. Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relations: Having more difficulty with balance or judging distance, tripping over things at home, or spilling or dropping things more often.

6. New problems with words in speaking or writing: Having trouble following or joining a conversation or struggling to find a word you are looking for (saying “that thing on your wrist that tells time” instead of “watch”).

7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps: Placing car keys in the washer or dryer or not being able to retrace steps to find something.

8. Decreased or poor judgment: Being a victim of a scam, not managing money well, paying less attention to hygiene, or having trouble taking care of a pet.

9. Withdrawal from work or social activities: Not wanting to go to church or other activities as you usually do, not being able to follow football games or keep up with what’s happening.

10. Changes in mood and personality: Getting easily upset in common situations or being fearful or suspicious.

If you have any questions about memory loss or would like to schedule an appointment with our caregivers, call Broward Health North's Memory Disorder Center at 954-786-7392.