7 Stages of Alzheimer's Disease

Stage 1

Normal Behaviour

Alzheimer’s disease usually starts  very slowly and without any noticeable symptoms .Because all changes in the brain starts almost decade before anyone notices a problem. Therefore when your family member who is in the first stage of disease they will not  show any symptoms. Diagnosing Alzheimer’s can only done through a PET scan, an imaging technique that shows different brain parts and also reveal Alzheimer.

Stage  Very mild changes

This stage is not quite different than previous stage but during this phase of Alzheimer’s disease the people who live with patient can notice some small changes such as :forgetting words, not remembering certain daily things etc. These changes are not always related to Alzheimer’s disease ,they may be normal part of aging process.

Stage 3  Mild decline

The most common changes occur in thinking and  reasoning skills. These  include easily forgetting things that they have just read ,asking same questions repeatedly.

Stage 4 Moderate Decline

This is the continuation of previous stage where the problems in thinking and reasoning that in stage 3 get more noticeable and new challenges appear. They may have problems in:

• Forget details about themselves
• Have trouble putting the right date and amount on a check
• Forget what month or season it is
• Have trouble cooking meals or even ordering from a menu
• Struggle to use the telephone
• Unable to understand what is said to them
• Struggle to do tasks with multiple steps like cleaning the house.

Stage 5  Moderately Severe Decline

One of the challenging period in which they start to forget about their location and time. They keep asking questions about where they are and what time it is now. They also struggle about remembering their phone number ,address and where they studied .Repeating same questions might be boring ,however family members must be very calm and answer with low voice tone. Other challenge occurs in daily activities such as  being confused what type of clothes to wear, how to wear. In order to help them family members or carers should put clothes near their bed and also help them to dress up.

Stage 6 Severe decline

During this time, Alzheimer’s  disease starts to progress and shows noticeable symptoms. For example patients still are able recognize faces but find it hard to remember names. They also  experience problems with identifying people and most of the time they make mistake a person for someone else. Delusional thoughts may be noticeable, such as claiming things or activities that are no longer available. They may talk about their job or person which is not exist. It might be very difficult to communicate with them but you still make a conversation  with them through the senses. In fact many people with Alzheimer's like listen to music, reading books, or looking over old photos.

The main things they are struggling in this stage are:

• Feed themselves
• Swallow
• Get dressed

Things they may experience during this stage:

• Weight loss
• Skin infections
• Pneumonia
• Trouble walking
• Changes in their sleeping patterns

 

Stage 7 Very Severe Decline

This is last and the worst stage of the disease. Many basic abilities in a person with Alzheimer's, such as eating, walking, and sitting up weaken during this period. By helping your loved one, you can help them by feeding them softer, easier-to-swallow foods, helping them use a spoon, and making sure they drink. This is important because at this stage many people can no longer tell when they are thirsty or hungry

At this stage, people with Alzheimer's disease need a lot of caregivers. Many families realize that they can no longer care for their loved ones at home, no matter how much they want to. If this is you, look for facilities such as nursing homes that provide professional care around the clock.