• Poor concentration
• Difficulty finding the right word
• Poor choices and impaired judgment
• Difficulty adapting to new routines
• Vague personality changes
• Sadder, quieter, or more negative
• Easily angered
• Difficulty with calculations

• Easily lost
• Sometimes forgets how to walk
• Unable to recognize family and friends
• Extreme mood shifts
• Restlessness, wandering, and sleep disturbances
• Repetitious questions and words
• Extreme anger, paranoia, frustration and nervousness
• Sometimes has trouble with equilibrium and falls frequently
• Incontinent
• Susceptible to injuries and infections

• Unable to walk
• Unresponsive
• Malnourished because of difficulties with swallowing
• Totally dependent
• Bedridden
  

Navigation- Previous | Table of Contents | Next

The Stages of Alzheimer's Disease

The progression of Alzheimer's disease is often described in terms of stages. They are simply periods of time when persons with Alzheimer's disease may exhibit certain symptoms and behaviors.

Early Stage

In the early stage, individuals experience short-term memory loss. They may be unusually forgetful. They have a hard time concentrating or coming up with the right word to express what they feel. They may make poor choices or show impaired judgement. They may have difficulty adapting to changes in routines.

At the same time, they may experience vague personality changes. They may seem sadder, quieter, or more negative than usual. They may be easily angered.

The individual and family members may have the feeling that "something is not right," yet the individual may be able to do most things with a small amount of help.

As the disease progresses, it becomes increasingly difficult for the person to handle basic daily tasks such as paying bills, using the telephone or shopping. The affected individual may try to hide the problem by writing reminders and detailed descriptions of how to do routine tasks. The family may begin to notice changes in personal grooming. Individuals may forget to brush their teeth, put on deodorant, or to wash their hair.

Distant family members sometimes first become aware of a dementia problem when they discover telephone or utilities have been disconnected due to lack of payment.

Depression is one of the more common symptoms in the early stage. The depressed individual may exhibit sadness and a more negative attitude toward life. The individual may sleep too much or too little or experience an unusual weight loss. You may notice an increased consumption of alcohol. The depression may be accompanied by a withdrawal from church or social functions and excuses not to participate in family activities.

Middle Stage

During the middle stage, memory loss and confusion becomes more severe. Symptoms seen in the early stage become more pronounced and new symptoms appear. The middle stage generally lasts longer than the early and late stages and may continue for two to twelve years.

Individuals with Alzheimer's disease are often restless and may wander about during the day and night. They may become lost. The person may have difficulty recognizing friends and family members.

There is noticeable difficulty communicating. Eventually, the individual's speech is reduced to repetitious questions, words and sounds. The person may exhibit levels of anger, paranoia, frustration and nervousness that may be very difficult for others to tolerate. It is during this stage that some people become aggressive or uncooperative when performing personal care. The individual also becomes more susceptible to infections. The individual needs help performing routine tasks such as dressing, eating and toileting. The individual also needs protection from household hazards, such as stairways, medications or poisonous substances.

The requirements of providing care twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week can become burdensome and stressful for the caregiver. At this time many caregivers and families find that they must get help in the home, utilize adult day care, or place the individual in an adult care facility.

Late Stage

In this stage caregiving frequently shifts toward nursing care where staff can provide twenty-four hour care in a nursing home. However, the responsibility of the caregiver does not end. They continue to play an important role by visiting and monitoring the health, financial and legal needs of the individual.

Individuals in the last stage become bedridden. They lose a sense of who others are and are unable to respond to friends, family or their surroundings. There is usually a weight loss, no control of bodily functions and physical health declines.

Caregivers who maintain the person at home need to develop skills in feeding, skin care, bed baths, prevention of infection, lifting and transferring, and the performance of range of motion exercises.

Navigation- Previous | Table of Contents | Next