Stages of Alzheimer's

This day, we visited the doctor to look at the condition of Mum's illness. It is not improving, and yet we can do nothing about it to return her to her usual state. Sometimes do you know how helpless it feels?

The doctor showed us a chart regarding the different stages of Alzheimer's disease, basically, it is categorized into 7 different stages, these , stage 1 being the slightest and stage 7 being the most severe case of Alzheimer's.

Here are the 7 different stages:

Stage 1: No impairment
In this stage, individuals act as normal people, they do not have any memory problems and none are apparent to the a health care proffessional when going for a medical interview.

Stage 2: Very mild decline
At this stage, individuals will experience a very mild cognitive decline, which may reslut from normal age-related changes or it could be the earliest sign of Alzheimer's disease. They may feel that they have memory lapses, particularly forgetting familiar words, names, or the location of everyday objects such as keys and spectacles. However, these problems are not obvious health check-up or conspicious to friends and the family.

Stage 3: Mild decline
At this stage, friends and family may notice some deficiencies in individuals as they start to have problems with memory, concentration and have the following common difficulties:

- Problems with word and name finding is obvious to family and close associates
- They will have a decreased ability to remember the names of the new people when introduced
- Issues in the performance in both social and work setting are plain to family, friends and co-workers
-Loss or misplacment of a valuable object
-Declination in the capability to plan and organize events

Some individuals could be diagnosed suffering from this disease but not all of them have these problems.

Stage 4 : Moderate decline (Mild/early stage)
At this stage of Alzheimer's, through a careful interview, deficiencies could be detected without much trouble in these areas:
- Knowledge of recent occasions or current events are decreasing
- Ability to perform challenging mental arithmetic problems
- Reduced capability to do complex tasks which includes planning and organisation.
- Memory of personal history is lost
- Individuals suffering form this disease seem subdued and withdrawn, specially in socially or mentally challenging circumstances.

Stage 5: Moderately severe decline
At this stage, major gaps in memory and loss in cognitive function will happen. Assistance with daily activities may be required.
Individuals may:
- Be unable to recall personal information when required
- Become confused with location of themselves or about the date, day of the week and month.
- Less challenging mental arithmetic could pose a challenge to sufferers
- Requires help in choice of propoer clothing which suits the occasion
- Often retain substancial knowledge about themselves, knowing their own name, that of their spouse and children.
- Assistance with eating or using the toilet is usually not needed.

Stage 6: Severe decline
At this stage, memory difficulties will worsen, personality changes emerge and patients require a lot of help with their daily activities.
Patients of Alzheimer's may:
- Lose awareness of recent experiences, events, and their surroundings
- Able to recall their own name name, but not their personal history fully.
- May forget the name of their spouse or caregiver but they can distinguish familiar faces from unfamiliar ones.
-Requires help getting dressed properly
-Disruption in the normal sleep and waking cycle
- Details of toileting required assistance
- Personality change, behavioral symptoms, suspiciousness, delusions, hallucinations, compulsive and reptitive behaviours will be experienced.
- Tend to wander and get himself/herself lost

Stage 7: Very severe decline
This is the last and final stage of the disease.
Here are the following signs:
- Alzheimer patients at this stage will lose their ability of recognizable speech, though uttering of words are occasional
- Eating, toileting must be assisted, leaking of urine unintentionally occurs
- Walking requires assistance
- Ability to sit without support, to smile, to hold the head up, is lost.
- reflexes are abnormal and muscles turn rigid, and swallowing is impaired.

From the clear explanation by the doctor, Mum is at stage 3 of Alzheimer's disease. Mum's condition is likely to worsen, but we will try our very best to keep it at this level, our very best.

· ·