Most people think of Alzheimer’s disease as something that happens in old age. And while that is the most common pattern, Early-Onset Alzheimer’s is a real and often overlooked form of the disease that can appear in a person’s forties or fifties, sometimes even earlier. Missing the early signs does not just delay a diagnosis. It delays care, planning, and the chance to make the most of the time you have.

This is something Anthony Copeland-Parker knows firsthand. When his partner Catherine received her diagnosis, the two of them were in their fifties. Rather than retreating, they spent years traveling the world together, running marathons and half-marathons across places like Madagascar, Bhutan, and Antarctica. Their story, documented across two memoirs at Running With Cat, is a powerful reminder that a diagnosis does not have to be the end of living fully. But it does start with recognizing what is happening.

What Makes Early-Onset Different

Early-Onset Alzheimer’s is defined as Alzheimer’s disease diagnosed before age 65. It accounts for a smaller percentage of all Alzheimer’s cases, but it affects a population that is often still working, raising children, and deeply embedded in daily responsibilities.

Because most people associate memory loss with Aging, the early symptoms are frequently brushed off as Stress, Burnout, or just ‘getting older.’ That dismissal is one of the biggest obstacles to catching this disease when intervention can still matter most.

Signs That Are Easy to Miss

The early signs of Early-Onset Alzheimer’s are not always dramatic. They tend to creep in gradually and look like other things at first. Here are the ones that deserve serious attention:

• Memory lapses that disrupt daily life. Forgetting an appointment or a name once is human. Forgetting repeated conversations, important dates, or recently learned information more frequently is a different matter.
• Difficulty with problem-solving or planning. Struggling to follow a recipe you have made for years, or having trouble managing finances that used to feel routine, can be an early cognitive signal.
• Confusion about time or place. Losing track of dates, seasons, or how you got somewhere you Travel regularly are signs worth noting.
• Trouble with words. Stopping mid-sentence and being unable to find a word, calling things by the wrong name, or struggling to follow or join a conversation can all be early indicators.
• Changes in mood or personality. Increased Anxiety, Depression, suspicion, or withdrawal from social situations that used to feel comfortable are often early behavioral changes linked to the disease.
• Losing things and being unable to retrace steps. Everyone misplaces keys. But placing objects in unusual locations and being unable to think through where they might be is different.
• Poor judgment. Making decisions that feel out of character, especially around Money or personal safety, is a warning sign many families recognize only in hindsight.

None of these signs alone confirms a diagnosis. But a pattern of several of them, especially in someone under 65, is worth bringing to a doctor promptly.

Why the Caregiver Often Notices First

One of the harder truths about Early-Onset Alzheimer’s is that the person experiencing the symptoms is often the last to recognize them clearly. Anosognosia, a reduced awareness of one’s own cognitive changes, is common with this disease. This means the people watching from the outside, partners, adult children, close friends, frequently see the changes before the person living with them does.

If you are in a Caregiving role or suspect something is changing in someone you Love, trust what you are observing. You are not overreacting by asking questions or requesting a medical evaluation. An honest, caring push toward diagnosis can open doors to resources, support networks, and planning that make a real difference.

What to Do If You Recognize the Signs

If the signs above feel familiar, either for yourself or someone close to you, here are some grounded next steps:

1. Talk to a primary care physician first. Request a cognitive evaluation. Your doctor can rule out other causes like thyroid issues, vitamin deficiencies, or depression, all of which can mimic early dementia symptoms.
2. Seek a referral to a neurologist or geriatric psychiatrist. A specialist can conduct more thorough testing and provide a clearer picture.
3. Document what you are seeing. Keep a simple log of specific incidents, dates, and behaviors. This kind of detail helps clinicians enormously.
4. Connect with support organizations. Caregiver networks and Alzheimer’s advocacy groups offer practical guidance that goes well beyond the medical side of things.
5. Do not wait for certainty to start planning. Even a probable diagnosis gives families the window to discuss finances, legal documents, care preferences, and future housing before a crisis forces those decisions.

Living Fully After Diagnosis

A diagnosis of Early-Onset Alzheimer’s changes everything, but it does not close everything off. What the journey of Running With Cat illustrates is that resilience is not about denying the reality of the disease. It is about choosing, deliberately and with clear eyes, to keep moving forward.

Anthony and Catherine finished every race they ran hand in hand. They walked a half-marathon in the Australian Outback weeks after Catherine broke her ankle. They crossed continents together, pushed their limits, and held onto meaning through each stage of the disease. That kind of determination does not require a diagnosis to admire, but it speaks directly to anyone living inside one.

The second memoir, ‘One Footstep at a Time,’ follows the journey as Alzheimer’s progressed and the pace of life shifted. It does not sugarcoat the hard parts. It is honest about the setbacks and the Grief alongside the love. That honesty is what makes it useful to anyone navigating a similar road.

The Value of Honest Stories

Reading accounts written by people who have actually lived through a caregiving experience offers something clinical guides cannot. You get the texture of daily life, the moments of unexpected humor, the frustration, the tenderness, and the hard-won perspective that only comes from showing up every single day for someone you love who is changing.

If you are at the beginning of this journey, or somewhere in the middle of it, you do not have to figure it out in isolation. There are communities, resources, and stories waiting for you.

The signs of Early-Onset Alzheimer’s are worth knowing. And once you know them, the next step is finding the support, the language, and the courage to act on what you see. Running With Cat exists partly for that reason, to offer a real, unvarnished account of what this road looks like and to remind you that others have traveled it too.

The post Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore first appeared on Running With Cat.

Anthony Copeland-Parker Tony

Anthony L. Copeland-Parker was a professional Pilot/Manager for thirty-seven years, the last twenty-seven with United Parcel Service. His last job had him managing pilots and flying B757/767-type aircraft all over the world. When he retired, he began writing his blog, RunningwithCat.com. Since then, he and his partner Catherine have traveled to eighty-two different countries. They have run at least a half-marathon in thirty-five countries and on all seven continents. This is his third book, the first being Running All Over the World, Our Race Against Early Onset Alzheimer’s, published by Newman Springs Publishing. The second is an abridged version published by Morgan James Publishing.