Understanding the Stages of Alzheimers Disease

Understanding the Stages of Alzheimers Disease

Alzheimer’s is a serious illness that affects many people every year. Although Alzheimer’s has a widespread effect, many people don’t understand the disease. Alzheimer’s is a progressive brain disorder that gradually destroys the memory, the ability to learn, reason, make judgements communicate and perform daily activities. The disease causes anxiety, paranoia or agitation, delusions and hallucinations. There is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but there are new treatments. The Alzheimer’s illness can last from 3 to 20 years. If a person has no other serious illnesses, then the loss of brain function from Alzheimer’s will cause their death. The staging systems provide frames of reference for understanding how the disease may unfold, and helps patients make future plans.

The first stage of the disease is defined as no impairment or the normal function stage. During this stage diagnosed individuals will experience no memory problems, and the evident signs of the disease will no be visible at this time. In the second stage, individuals will have a mild cognitive decline. During this time, the sick person may have memory lapses. In this stage, it may be difficult to diagnose the disease, because many of the symptoms are common to the aging process. The third stage of Alzheimer’s involves mild cognitive decline. In this stage, problems with memory or concentration are evident, and can be measured through clinical testing. Some of the most common problems during the third stage include word-or name-finding difficulty that is noticeable to people around the sick person. There is also a decreased ability to remember names after being introduced to new people, and there will be noticeable performance issues in social or work settings.

During stage four there will be visible signs of deficiencies. Patients will experience decreased knowledge of recent occasions or current events; there will be an impaired ability to perform challenging mental arithmetic. Individuals may also experience a decreased capacity to perform complex tasks, such as paying bills and managing finances. There will also be a reduced memory of personal history, and may seem withdrawn in socially or mentally challenging situations. In stage five patients will experience moderately severe cognitive decline. In this stage, it is essential for patients to have assistance with daily activities.

During the fifth stage, patients may also become confused about where they are, about the date, day of the week, and about the time of year. However, in this stage, patients retain knowledge of their own names and the names of certain family members. The memory difficulties worsen during the sixth stage, and there is a significant personality change. Extensive assistance for daily activities is needed during this stage. It is common for patients to lose awareness of recent experience and events as well as of their surroundings. Commonly, patients will experience disruption of their normal sleep cycles. Patients will also need assistance with using the bathroom, and may have increased episodes of urinary of fecal incontinence.

At this stage, patients will begin to have delusions and hallucinate. A person with Alzheimer’s in this stage may also begin to wonder from home, and get lost. The final stage of the discase involves severe cognitive decline. Individuals lose the ability to respond to their environment, the ability to speak, and the ability to control movement. In this stage, using the bathroom and eating must be assisted. Patients are also unable to walk without assistance, and reflexes become abnormal and muscles grow rigid.