Can dementia/Alzheimer's start at mid-60's? My mother is only 64.

I'm so sorry for this distressing discovery. I just went through this with a dear cousin who is only 68. We are still in shock. Just make sure her doctors discount any other possible cause of those symptoms: thyroid, undiagnosed Lyme's, tumor, etc. Your mother may benefit from Arisept, which can help (but not always) and should be started early as possible. This is not a cure and will only work for a while, and maybe not at all, but it's better than nothing.

This week I watched an episode of a series on PBS about aging and Dementia/ALZ specifically. They highlighted a man who had the symptoms at 58, which means he had it for years prior (once you can really see the symptoms it means they've had it longer than you think).

There is a helpful book that many on this site will endorse, "The 36-hour Day". Also, Teepa Snow has very informative videos on YouTube about dementia/ALZ, what it is, why is causes our LOs to behave as they do, what to expect and how to better engage with those experiencing it.

If your mom has a spouse/partner this person now needs to consult with a professional about finances, since care is very expensive and it will most likely be years of care, even if family participates a lot. Hopefully your mom has a PoA in place and if not, a consult with an elder law attorney would be an excellent investment. May your family receive peace in hearts as you go on this journey with your mother.

Early onset is possible. I was at a seminar held at a MC facility and someone asked what is the age of the youngest resident. The answer was 35 years old!
My Husband was diagnosed at 62 and he had showed signs for quite a few years prior to that. Often people will hide signs and work around the dementia, and friends and family ignore, forgive little slip ups for sometimes up to 10 years before an official diagnosis.
To be diagnosed in the 60’s is not really “early on set”.
Testing, awareness is allowing people to be diagnosed earlier than in years past. One of the reasons might be because of drugs that might or might not work. So there is money to be made with an early diagnosis. (Sounds like my cynical side woke up early this morning!)

Echoing what others have said, sadly, yes, it can be diagnosed earlier than expected. A colleague's husband was diagnosed with frontotemporal lobe dementia at 50, although he showed signs earlier. My mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in her late 80's. To cope with the same decline that you noticed: hallucinations, lower cognitive skills, etc., I wrote a book about my husband and I taking care of her called, "My Mother Has Alzheimer's and My Dog has Tapeworms: A Caregiver's Tale." (I thought of the title when I was driving home from work 1 day, and I realized that my once broad life was reduced to the pressing health concerns of my mom and dog.) I wrote it with humor and heart, because you need both when dealing with Alzheimer's. Since I'm not a doctor though, I'd get her to a neurologist and/or geriatric psychiatrist as soon as you can, to get an official diagnosis. Best of luck.

It a possible that she may have a UTI which can cause dementia symptoms. Get her to the doc. There are other illnesses that can cause this too.

Yes, sadly it can start at a fairly young age. It's called early onset. One of the gentlemen in our local support group's wife was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's at the age of 54, and she's been living with it for 18 years already.(she's now in the very late stages)
I'm glad you're having mom see a neurologist. Make sure that you and your family members are educating yourselves as well on Alzheimer's/dementia, as that will help you better understand what your mom is going through. Teepa Snow has some great videos on YouTube you can watch that are very helpful, and the book The 36 Hour Day by Nancy L. Mace and Peter V. Rabins is a great resource as well.
I wish you all the very best.

Short answer is yes.

Alzheimer's disease can strike at earlier ages. Your mom needs her neurologist to determine the type of dementia and stage. This will help to guide everybody's expectations and her care needs.

In addition, it may be helpful to have your mom get a full physical examination by an internist. This doctor can uncover other physical issues that might be contributing to the cognitive changes. Once these medical issues are addressed, your mom may have better mentation.

My mother wasn't diagnosed until she was 51. Had symptoms of Alzheimers at 48 (but we didn't know that then). She died of Alzheimers at age 54. That was in 1984. Sorry to hear that you're going through this, but it can happen a lot earlier than most people think.

Sadly your story reminded me of the film Still Alice. Did you see it? 😓

"real-life story about how Alice Howland, a linguistics professor at Columbia, and her family deal with her diagnosis of familial Alzheimer's disease at age 50, is both heartfelt and powerful".

Yes, it is indeed possible for early-onset dementia and/or Alzheimer's disease. My husband's aunt started displaying symptoms in her mid-60's, also with a rapid decline.

Here's a good article: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alzheimers-disease/in-depth/alzheimers/art-20048356

I am guessing it can happen at any age. I had a schoolmate that passed away about 10 years ago and I am 64 now.......however I sometimes wonder if it has anything to do with where people live. My classmate lived near Three Mile Island when it shut down by accident. Did that cause hers? don't know. But I am guessing anything can happen at any age, children get cancer........why? we don't know. Have they done a brain scan on your mother? is she on some kind of medication that is causing this? (a friends husband had PKD, had a transplant and the meds he is on makes him forgetful)...........so it could be anything. wishing you luck.