What Are The Three Stages Of Alzheimer’s Disease

The Three Stages Of Alzheimer’s Disease Refer To The Period Of Time Beginning When Symptoms Become Apparent For Many Years This Was Considered To Be The Start Of The Disease

People in the mild stage of Alzheimers still are able to have coherent conversations, but they may have trouble finding the right words or remembering names.

Because Alzheimers disease continues to get worse over time, its often thought of as unfolding in stages. This can be helpful, but its important to understand that when it comes to the stages of Alzheimers, the symptoms and rate of progression can vary from person to person.

There are different systems for staging Alzheimers disease. Many experts categorize it as mild , moderate , and severe . These stages refer to the period of time beginning when symptoms become apparent. For many years, this was considered to be the start of the disease.

It is now known that the disease process actually begins before the diagnosis can be made. To reflect the deeper understanding of Alzheimers disease and to prepare for future advancements in diagnosis and treatment, the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimers Association describe three distinct stages of Alzheimers disease. These are:

The Progression And Stages Of Dementia

Dementia is progressive. This means symptoms may be relatively mild at first but they get worse with time. Dementia affects everyone differently, however it can be helpful to think of dementia progressing in ‘three stages’.

The progression and stages of dementia

Ot As Part Of The Treatment Team

Occupational therapists can help in so many different ways, in each stage of Alzheimer’s disease. This therapeutic intervention can be a benefit for not only the person but for their family and caregivers as well.

If your feel OT could be of benefit to your loved one and your family. Then reach out and have a conversation with your doctor. If your doctor feels that OT could be of benefit, they can refer you and your loved one to occupational therapy.

Most insurances will cover OT services. Contact your individual insurance company regarding your specific plan’s coverage. Have you utilized occupational therapy for middle-stage Alzheimer’s? Want to talk to other’s in the community about occupational therapy? Tell us about your experience in the comments below, or with the community.

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Stage : Mild Alzheimer’s Dementia

In this stage, although they appear fine, patients start having problems with executive functions and need support to maintain a good quality of life, especially if they live alone. Symptoms include forgetting how to organize their bills to pay them and getting lost while driving.

Frustrated patients often show resistance to help from friends and family. At this point, Rosenberg recommends consulting a doctor. The family can follow up on the doctor’s instructions and check to make sure the patient is using a medicine box, eating properly and perhaps set up an auto-pay system for the patient’s bills.

Stages Of Dementia: The 3

• There are different forms of dementia Alzheimers is the most common
• Dementia progresses in three stages: Mild , Moderate , and Severe
• The 7-stage model of dementia which breaks down the cognitive decline is useful for Alzheimers
• The Clinical Dementia Rating Scale can be used to assess other forms of dementia
• The progression of dementia can vary widely by the type of dementia and by person
• Understanding the stages of dementia can help guide care needs as the disease progresses

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What To Do Next After Learning What Stage Of Alzheimer’s Disease Your Loved One Is In

As mentioned, learning about the stage of Alzheimers disease that a loved one is experiencing helps provide perspective and context. This knowledge makes it easier to have conversations with doctors about the patients condition and how to approach future treatment options. Understanding the later stages of the disease also helps when planning for lifestyle changes, new equipment, and other items that may be needed. One of the other major benefits in understanding the overall progression of Alzheimers disease is preparing for future living arrangements, such a memory care community, that could become a preferred option during later stages of the disease. Because the cost of dementia care is high, families should begin planning as soon as possible following a diagnosis.

Caregivers Need Help In Every Stage

The middle and late stages are the most difficult stages for the caregiver. Caregivers need to be aware that these stages can last for many years. For this reason, its important to explore your options for getting qualified Alzheimer care so the caregiver can avoid getting overwhelmed and burned out. You can also look for an Memory Care Community in your area in you feel your loved one requires full-time ongoing care.

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Stage : Subjective Memory Lossage Related Forgetfulness

Many people over the age of 65 complain of cognitive and/or functional difficulties. Elderly persons with these symptoms report that they can no longer remember names as easily as they could 5 or 10 years previously they can also have trouble recalling where they have recently placed things.

Various terms have been suggested for this condition, but subjective cognitive decline is presently the widely accepted terminology. These symptoms by definition, are not notable to intimates or other external observers of the person with subjective cognitive decline. Persons with these symptoms decline at higher rates than similarly aged persons and similarly healthy persons who are free of subjective complaints. Research has shown that this stage of subjective cognitive decline lasts 15 years in otherwise healthy persons.

Final Stage Of Alzheimers

This is our third episode for our Seven Stages of Alzheimers series. We have gone through the previous six stages and will be going through the seventh stage today. This final stage ends when someone with Alzheimers is no longer suffering from the disease. It is a painful time for their loved ones, but it can be a relief to know that they are no longer in pain or locked inside their own mind. Check out todays episode for more information on the end stage of Alzheimers.

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Facts About Alzheimer Disease

Alzheimer disease is becoming more common as the general population gets older and lives longer. Alzheimer disease usually affects people older than 65. A small number of people have early-onset Alzheimer disease, which starts when they are in their 30s or 40s.

People live for an average of 8 years after their symptoms appear. But the disease can progress quickly in some people and slowly in others. Some people live as long as 20 years with the disease.

No one knows what causes Alzheimer disease. Genes, environment, lifestyle, and overall health may all play a role.

Stage : Severe Cognitive Declinemoderately Severe Dementia

Stage 6a

At this stage, the ability to perform basic activities of daily life becomes compromised. Functionally, five successive substages are identifiable. Persons initially in stage 6a, in addition to having lost the ability to choose their clothing without assistance, begin to require assistance in putting on their clothing properly. Unless supervised, the person with Alzheimers disease may put their clothing on backward, they may have difficulty putting their arm in the correct sleeve, or they may dress in the wrong sequence.

The total duration of the stage of moderately severe Alzheimers disease is approximately 2.5 years in otherwise healthy persons.

Stage 6b

At approximately the same point in the evolution of AD, but generally just a little later in the temporal sequence, AD persons lose the ability to bathe without assistance . Characteristically, the earliest and most common deficit in bathing is difficulty adjusting the temperature of the bath water. Once the caregiver adjusts the temperature of the bath water, the AD person can still potentially otherwise bathe independently. As this stage evolves, additional deficits occur in bathing and dressing independently. In this 6b substage, AD persons generally develop deficits in other modalities of daily hygiene such as properly brushing their teeth.

Stages 6c, 6d, 6e

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Stages Of Alzheimer’s Disease Introduced

Madison ParkSTORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Alzheimer’s disease would be expanded into three stages under proposed guidelines
• Doctors hope that the disease could be detected earlier for better treatment
• One of the three stages apply mostly to research settings

Editor’s note:Larry King returns to CNN with an emotional look at how people cope with Alzheimers disease. Don’t miss “Unthinkable: the Alzheimer’s Epidemic,” Sunday night, May 1st at 8 ET on CNN.

— Alzheimer’s disease begins long before family and friends notice differences in the patient’s memory and behavior, doctors who treat the condition said Monday. By the time an official diagnosis is made, the person’s function is usually significantly impaired and treatment rarely helps.

Doctors are suggesting a redefinition of Alzheimer’s that would include even mild memory and behavioral symptoms. Disease experts expect an increase in the number of patients receiving the Alzheimer’s diagnosis as a result of the change.

The idea, proposed by the Alzheimer’s Association and the National Institutes of Health, would define Alzheimer’s as a “spectrum” disease, creating three stages ranging from lesser to greater severity in hopes that the devastating neurological condition could be detected earlier.

In the U.S., 5.4 million people have an Alzheimer’s diagnosis. By 2050, that number is expected to more than triple.

• National Institutes of Health

The new guidelines appear Tuesday in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia.

Resources:

Stage : Normal Outward Behavior

Alzheimerâs disease usually starts silently, with brain changes that begin years before anyone notices a problem. When your loved one is in this early phase, they won’t have any symptoms that you can spot. Only a PET scan, an imaging test that shows how the brain is working, can reveal whether they have Alzheimer’s.

As they move into the next six stages, your friend or relative with Alzheimer’s will see more and more changes in their thinking and reasoning.

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A Person With Dementia Doesnt Always Fit Into One Stage

Dementia affects each person in a unique way and changes different parts of the brain at different points in the disease progression.

Plus, different types of dementia tend to have different symptoms.

For example, someone with frontotemporal dementia may first show extreme behavior and personality changes. But someone with Alzheimers disease would first experience short-term memory loss and struggle with everyday tasks.

Researchers and doctors still dont know enough about how these diseases work to predict exactly what will happen.

Another common occurrence is for someone in the middle stages of dementia to suddenly have a clear moment, hour, or day and seem like theyre back to their pre-dementia abilities. They could be sharp for a little while and later, go back to having obvious cognitive impairment.

When this happens, some families may feel like their older adult is faking their symptoms or just isnt trying hard enough.

Its important to know that this isnt true, its truly the dementia thats causing their declining abilities as well as those strange moments of clarity theyre truly not doing it on purpose.

The 3 Stages Of Alzheimer’s: What To Expect And What To Do

If you or a loved one has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimers disease, you are likely experiencing many different emotions including shock, fear, sadness, and worry. Knowing what to expect and how to plan ahead can provide a sense of control and important peace of mind. Alzheimers disease has three stages: early , middle , and late . Here is what to expect and what to do during each of them.

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More On Activities Of Daily Living

ADLs are the things people perform every day as part of their daily routines such as eating, dressing, bathing/showering, attending to personal hygiene and grooming such as brushing his/her hair, and toileting.

Not everyone with MCI will go on to develop the third stage of Alzheimers diseaseAlzheimers dementia.

Symptoms of MCI are usually mild, involving problems in cognition. Cognition is defined as the process of thinkingcognitive abilities are the skills required to carry out any task ranging from simple to complex ones. They are the brain-based abilities required to learn, remember, problem-solve and pay attention.

Not all symptoms of MCI interfere with a persons ability to perform ADLs. These may include forgetting appointments or important events, losing things frequently, or difficulty remembering words.

Symptoms that must be present for a diagnosis of MCI include:

• Concern about a change in cognition
• Impairment of one or more cognitive functions, such as problem-solving or memory
• Ability to perform ADLs

Beyond Memory Loss: How To Handle The Other Symptoms Of Alzheimer’s

There is a lot of talk about the emotional pain patients and caregivers suffer when a loved one loses memories to Alzheimers. But what about the other symptoms? Here are tips from a Johns Hopkins expert on what to watch for and how to manage.

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Stages Of Alzheimer Disease

The stages of Alzheimer disease usually follow a progressive pattern. But each person moves through the disease stages in his or her own way. Knowing these stages helps healthcare providers and family members make decisions about how to care for someone who has Alzheimer disease.

Preclinical stage. Changes in the brain begin years before a person shows any signs of the disease. This time period is called preclinical Alzheimer disease and it can last for years.

Mild, early stage. Symptoms at this stage include mild forgetfulness. This may seem like the mild forgetfulness that often comes with aging. But it may also include problems with concentration.

A person may still live independently at this stage, but may have problems:

• Remembering a name

• Staying organized

• Managing money

The person may be aware of memory lapses and their friends, family or neighbors may also notice these difficulties.

Moderate, middle stage. This is typically the longest stage, usually lasting many years. At this stage, symptoms include:

• Increasing trouble remembering events

• Problems learning new things

• Trouble with planning complicated events, like a dinner

• Trouble remembering their own name, but not details about their own life, such as address and phone number

• Problems with reading, writing, and working with numbers

As the disease progresses, the person may:

Physical changes may occur as well. Some people have sleep problems. Wandering away from home is often a concern.

Stages Of Disease Progression

Because the specific symptoms of Alzheimer’s can vary from person to person, and the disease progresses at different rates, doctors use a system of stages to help determine the level of impairment and need for further care.

Some experts label as many as seven different stages of Alzheimer’s disease, ranging from normal to very severe, often with overlapping symptoms that could make it difficult for the average person to distinguish one stage from another. Other experts break the progression of disease down into just three or four distinct stages.

Paul Rosenberg, MD, Associate Director of the Memory and Alzheimer’s Treatment Center at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, says it is much less confusing for family members to understand these four distinct stages, beginning with mild cognitive impairment, which may or may not indicate Alzheimer’s disease, followed by mild, moderate, and severe dementia, if Alzheimer’s disease is present.

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Why Is Dementia Progressive

Dementia is not a single condition. It is caused by different physical diseases of the brain, for example Alzheimers disease, vascular dementia, DLB and FTD.

In the early stage of all types of dementia only a small part of the brain is damaged. In this stage, a person has fewer symptoms as only the abilities that depend on the damaged part of the brain are affected. These early symptoms are usually relatively minor. This is why mild dementia is used as an alternative term for the early stage.

Each type of dementia affects a different area of the brain in the early stages. This is why symptoms vary between the different types. For example, memory loss is common in early-stage Alzheimers but is very uncommon in early-stage FTD.

As dementia progresses into the middle and later stages, the symptoms of the different dementia types tend to become more similar. This is because more of the brain is affected as dementia progresses.

Over time, the disease causing the dementia spreads to other parts of the brain. This leads to more symptoms because more of the brain is unable to work properly. At the same time, already-damaged areas of the brain become even more affected, causing symptoms the person already has to get worse.

Symptoms Of Mild Cognitive Impairment

Some people have a condition called mild cognitive impairment, or MCI. It can be an early sign of Alzheimers. But, not everyone with MCI will develop Alzheimers disease. People with MCI can still take care of themselves and do their normal activities. MCI memory problems may include:

• Losing things often
• Forgetting to go to events or appointments
• Having more trouble coming up with words than other people the same age

Learn more about Alzheimer’s disease from MedlinePlus.

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