7 Stages of Alzheimer’s
7 Stages of Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia that may affect the human being. Alzheimer’s disease affects people’s abilities to remember, think, speak, move, express themselves and etc. Every person that is having Alzheimer is experiencing differently the disease, but still, there are similarities from the very beginning of the disease until the end. Based on that, seven stages of the disease are delineated by Dr. Barry Resiberg.
The fact that someone who is a close relative or a friend of yours is having Alzheimer’s may be really stressful and emotional experience. If you are having a close relative or friend that is experiencing this condition, then the very first thing you need to do is to learn more about the stages of this disease since their condition will affect your life too.
Still, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease. But discovering this condition on time and providing the patient with the right treatment and interventions helps with slowing the progression of the disease.
Stage 1: No impairment – Normal Functions
In this stage, the person is having normal functions and is not experiencing any memory problems. Even if the person goes to a doctor, only through the conversation the doctor won’t be able to detect any signs of Alzheimer. Only a PET scan that shows how the brain works may reveal whether the person has Alzheimer’s.
More changes will be visible and detectable in the further stages.
Stage 2: Very Mild Impairment
Still, some huge differences are not able to see. Since Alzheimer’s disease affects older people, mainly over the age of 65 it is common for people at these ages to have forgetfulness. They may forget where they have placed something or forget some family member’s name. Even the doctor can’t notice them yet. The person may forget a word or two, nothing more. The symptoms that he/she may experience won’t interfere with the everyday activities.
Stage 3: Mild Impairment
This stage lasts about seven years. Symptoms will begin to get clearer after the third year of this stage. At the third stage, the family members and close friends may start to notice some changes related to the memory and the cognitive functions. Doctors as well will start to notice the changes. If the person does a memory test, scores on the tests will start to decline at this stage.
Patients will start with forgetting words while they will be doing simple conversations, they may find it difficult to remember names or to remember some plans that they have made in the near past. This stage is characterized by losing personal items. They may get lost while they are traveling a familiar route, which they have been going through almost every day. It will be really difficult for them to remember new names and new places, and they will forget them after few minutes. Patients at this stage have to be taken for counseling.
Stage 4: Moderate Impairment
This stage lasts up to two years and represents the beginning of the diagnosable Alzheimer’s disease. Patients are starting to have difficulties and troubles with everyday tasks. Often changes in the mood are also present. They will lose memories from their close past, like what they had for lunch today. Forgetting things from their personal life is also evident. Patients will have troubles with managing their finances. You may do a simple test to them: Make them count backward from 100 – they won’t be able to do this. Your beloved ones will need help with choosing what to order for eating, writing things and doing shopping. Some patients at this stage may still remember some important events or addresses, but still, they will be confused about some everyday activities.
Stage 5: Moderately Severe Cognitive Impairment
The duration of the fifth stage is a year and a half. During this stage, the patient will need help with many daily activities. They will have difficulty to dress properly; they will lose their sense of the location and the community surrounding them. At the fifth stage they can’t remember their own phone number, so being with them all the time outside is essential. But it doesn’t have to mean that you will always have to accompany them. They can do some things independently and maintain some functionality. They can still bathe and going to the toilet on their own. They are still remembering their closest family members, or some details about their personal lives, especially some memories of their childhood or youth.
Stage 6: Severe Cognitive Decline
If you have someone close with Alzheimer's disease that may be in stage six, then you should consider on providing them a full-time care. Patients in this stage need to be taken care of constantly. This stage is considered as one of the saddest stages of this disease since the person who is having Alzheimer’s is losing its ability to recognize their closest family and friends. They are not aware of the environment and surrounding them. They may forget where they are heading to, and get lost very easily. Another very common thing for people that are in the sixth stage of Alzheimer’s is the personality change. They have really often personality and behavioral mood swings. They need help even with the simplest daily activities required, like toileting and bathing. They can’t recall details of their personal history. Problems such as loss of bladder and bowel control are also common.
Stage 7: Very Severe Cognitive Decline
The final stage of Alzheimer’s disease is the stage seven. The duration of this stage is really variable. It may last from two years to 12 years. Since Alzheimer’s disease is considered to be terminal illness, the patient in the last stage of this disease is getting closer to death. Patients lose their ability to communicate with people, and they are not able to respond to the environment. At the beginning, their speech is limited to only few words, and later it is lost at all. In the later period of this stage, patients may lose their ability to swallow. They will need constant help in every activity that they have to complete. Remembering things only from their very early childhood may make them start acting in a childlike form. They will even develop the infantile reflexes. At the last period of this stage, they won’t be able to even hold their head up. People with Alzheimer’s in the last stage are experiencing shortening and hardening of muscles and tendons. The most common cause of death at the 7th stage of this disease is pneumonia.
It is important to understand that besides the fact that Alzheimer’s disease is separated into several stages, it doesn’t always have to mean that every single person with Alzheimer's will experience the same symptoms. Every single person is going through the stages differently.