Are these or could these be signs of the beginnings of Alzheimers?

A friend was speaking to me last night about his wife and he thinks she may be exhibiting the signs of the onset of Alzheimer’s.

She has been working overseas for the past several years so their daily contact has been minimal; they have seen each other every few months for a few weeks at a time. Last December she retired and moved home for good.
Since then there have been a few things that have occurred that concern him. He started noticing that she would, many times, not ask for something by name but say “Pass me that” or “Where did I put the thingy”. Nothing major, we all do it from time to time, more so now that we are aging. But it caught his attention because she is a woman who has never been at a loss for words. She is college educated with advanced degrees, has been working in upper management positions in administration for major universities for the past few decades and has always had an extensive vocabulary since childhood according to her parents, so it stood out to him when she did it. (and when something is such that a husband notices then it is best to assume it is not a normal occurrence).
Because of his heightened awareness he began to notice that she would on occasion use the wrong word for something; not that she was searching for the right word, she just mis-named or mis-called it. He first noticed it when they were eating and she asked him to pass her the sugar. When he did so she got irritated because she wanted the salt. Now, he is certain she asked for the sugar because he thought it unusual when she did so. Then there were little things such as asking for a bag when she meant envelope and a paintbrush when she obviously wanted, and was pointing at, a rag. The thing is when he questions her or asks did she mean such-and-such her response is usually yes and that that is what she said. She is adamant that she said the correct word even though she is mistaken.
Her father developed Alzheimer’s a few years before he died and it was fairly advanced when it was finally diagnosed. He was probably in his mid 70’s when diagnosed.

My friend is trying to get her to see a doctor about it. She is somewhat reluctant, he thinks because of what happened to her father she is afraid of what she might find out.

I know several folks on this site have had dealings with Alzheimer’s. Does this sound familiar to anyone with any experience?