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.

Alzheimer Family

This chemical regulates what other chemicals and minerals are allowed to enter brain cells.

They may even get to the point where they forget how to do seemingly simple tasks, such as brushing their teeth or combing their hair. There are literally hundreds of tests at a doctors disposal, many of which may come in handy when testing for Alzheimers disease. And, it can also lead to financial burden that only add to the stressed situation. Talk to your doctor about Alzheimers disease and mediacation today. Depending on the kind of information or help youre looking for, you can find a lot of alzheimers disease help online. Caring for a patient who has Alzheimers disease is very challenging due to the slow, unpredictable decline in the patient's health.

It seems to predispose individuals toward the disease.
For instance, did you know that this disease robs a person of their ability to think clearly by slowly destroying their brain cells? For those caring for someone with the symptoms of Alzheimers disease, this can be a trying time indeed. There are a variety of other tests that doctors have had their disposal to help diagnose Alzheimers disease. Autopsies showed the difference between health brains and Alzheimers brains and how the disease affected people across a range of socio-economic classes.

You also need to understand that even if these tests show that you are at higher risk, they still will not tell you at what age you will develop early onset Alzheimers.
In Alzheimers brains, the tracks appear twisted, which can derail their ability to carry vital supplies to the rest of the brain. Part of the reason behind this fact is that the cause for the disease has been difficult to pinpoint. It is also the most common. Alzheimers disease can be a difficult illness to recognize at first because the symptoms of Alzheimers come in stages, and can progress over a period of many years. Another outreach of this association is the hard work that they put into the online community.