How to Recognize the Alzheimers Stages


Alzheimers disease is generally thought to consist of three different stages of the illness, with a variety of symptoms that can appear with each stage. The intensity and severity of the symptoms will increase throughout the Alzheimers stages, ending with the most incapacitating symptoms that basically render the patient incapable of caring for himself. It is important to be familiar with the signs and symptoms of all of the Alzheimers stages, so that you can get an early diagnosis of the illness. This will help you to prepare better for what is to come, and perhaps manage the illness a bit more effectively. The early Alzheimers stage is sometimes the hardest to recognize, but there are key symptoms to watch for even at this early point.

First Stage

The first Alzheimers stage consists of symptoms like mild memory loss, lapses in judgment and subtle changes to the patients personality. You may see your family member develop a greater difficulty in remembering names and faces. In the course of a conversation, he may have more trouble with finding the right words, and he may even substitute completely different words for the ones that he is having difficulty remembering. You may see his temper flare as tasks and conversations become somewhat more challenging.

Middle Stage

This Alzheimers stage includes many of the symptoms that come to mind when you think of this disease. Your family member may begin to have difficulty recognizing family and friends, and he may confuse a brother with a nephew or a spouse with a cousin. You may notice that your family member asks repeatedly about the time of day or year, and that getting dressed becomes a much bigger challenge. You may see the patient put his shoes on the wrong feet or try to slip pajamas on over his clothing. This is also the Alzheimers stage where some patients begin to wander, leading to a great deal of concern and panic from family members when the patient cannot be located. Sometimes urinary and fecal incontinence become symptoms of this Alzheimers stage as well.

Final Stage

This Alzheimers stage is by far the most debilitating, and some patients cannot walk or even sit up without assistance. Incontinence is a frequent occurrence at this point, and eating becomes much more difficult as swallowing can cause choking. Your family member is probably not communicative at this Alzheimers stage, which means that you cannot tell at this point what your family member might want or need. This phase can be very difficult to manage, and is often when family members will place the patient into a full-time care facility.

Alzheimers is a difficult illness to deal with, both for the patient and family member caring for him. Recognizing the Alzheimers stages is the first step in managing this illness.

Nursing Home Reform

They may become unable to walk, sit-up by themselves and their muscles become rigid.

In addition, it is also difficult to judge just how fast the disease will develop, though there are general ways in which the disease affects patients of Alzheimers disease. They hold an annual conference, one which is international and which is actually the longest running international conference on dementia in the world. The first step is to realize that your family member may vary from day to day and even hour to hour in what they are able to accomplish. Patients who use to be quite independent will start to cling to their relatives.

Alzheimers disease is a well documented illness that is devastating to millions of people around the world.
According to Sparks, patients showed marked improvement after having had Lipitor Alzheimers treatment for six months than they were prior to taking such medication. Scientific evidence has shown that there is a relationship between the health of your brain and the health of your cardiovascular system, and in particular it seems helpful to focus on diet and exercise here. Alzheimers patients will also lose their sense of time and place. This is perhaps the most important Alzheimers information of all, because if you are able to understand the structure of the disease then if you do have a loved one who is suffering from it you are able to understand how they are feeling as the disease progresses in their case. The next step in the progression of Alzheimers disease is stage 2.

If youre someone looking for information about what alzheimers is, but you want it in laymens terms, read on.
Another form of alzheimers disease support groups are conducted over the Internet. Another thing you can do to find nutritional supplements for alzheimers disease that are right for the person suffering from the disease, is to read reviews from other consumers who have tried the products you are looking at. Alzheimers Disease International also runs the Alzheimers University, which involves a series of practical workshops that are aimed at helping both staff and volunteers of the various Alzheimers associations to build and strengthen their organizations. The contents of the letter show the courage and determination of the former President in meeting the challenges posed to him from this dreadful disease and not wanting to keep the Alzheimers Ronald Reagan condition private was a bold move on his part in that by going public it would raise consciousness about Alzheimers disease and promote better understanding of the condition. The Alzheimers Association was founded in the 1980s.