By: James S.
Submitted: 2009-04-06 06:04:20 | Word Count: 525
Alzheimer s disease is defined as a developed neurological disorder which leads to, intellectual slowing, memory loss, personality changes, and other more symptoms of Alzheimer s. Although the disease differs from in individuals, most go through similar stages, which each have more serious Alzheimer s symptoms.
Researchers and physicians have developed the seven stages below on how someone will change during the stages.
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Stage 1 ( Absence of Impairment )
The patient has normal functioning as a healthy adult. He has no memory problems, nor any difficulty in judgment, communication, orientation or his daily activities.
Stage 2 ( Minimal Impairment )
He might experience few falls in memory and further cognitive problems however the changes cannot be detected by family members or friends nor can the medical test reveal any abnormality.
Stage 3 ( Noticeable Cognitive Decline )
His family members or friends can realize mild change in his memory, behavior or communication patterns. It is now that in one visit to doctor weak Alzheimer s disease or early stage is diagnosed but it is not always recognized.
The Common symptoms of stage 3 include:
·Problems finding the appropriate words or people names
·Noticeable difficulty in participating in social affairs or employments
·Forgetting what has been recently read
·Misplacing objects and happening increasingly
·Reduction in planning and organizational skills
Stage 4 ( Early Stage/ Mild Alzheimer s )
Cognitive decline should be more obvious. Patient becomes more forgetful about personal details or recent events. The rest of the problems consist of impaired mathematical skill, a poor ability to perform difficult tasks like managing finances, social withdrawal and moodiness.
Stage 5 ( Middle Stag/ Moderate Alzheimer s )
He needs help carrying out his daily tasks. Problems with thinking and memory are now well noticeable, having symptoms like:
·unable to recall someone s key details or personal contact information
·Disorientation to place or time
·the ability in skills and judgment regarding personal care is decreased
Despite the clear symptoms, the patient usually knows his name and his family members. He can use bathroom by himself.
Stage 6 (The Middle Stage of Moderate to Late Stage of Severe Alzheimer s)
The most tricky stage for caregivers is stage 6. As memory continues declining, aid is required for many daily activities. Behavior and personality change.
The symptoms in this stage are:
·Reduction in consciousness of one s recent events and of surroundings
·Patient can distinguish the faces of unfamiliar and familiar but cannot recall names.
·Sun downing, known as agitation and increased restlessness in evening and late afternoon
·Trouble using the restroom without assistance
·Incontinence of bladder and bowel
·Wandering
·Suspicion
·Repetitive actions (nonverbal and/or verbal)
Stage 7 ( Late Stage/Severe Alzheimer s )
In the last stage, usually patient cannot respond to his surrounding environment at all. Communication is enormously limited despite the few words that are exchanged.
Total care is required around the clock as the essential functions start to shut down for instance swallowing ability and motor coordination.
Although this is an outline for the sequence of Alzheimer s symptoms but as the caregivers report not all go through similarly and the rate of their progress is highly individual. They report that the patient seems he is in more than one stage at once.
