Jun 8, 2021
Welcome to This is Getting Old: Moving Towards an Age-Friendly
World, I’m your host Melissa Batchelor, and today I’ll be talking
about What are the Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease? I’ve taken care
of thousands of older adults living with Alzheimer’s disease and
ultimately dying either with or from this devastating disease. I
hope the information in this podcast will help you to be prepared
as your loved one moves through each stage of the disease.
There is some variation in what different people think are the
Stages of Dementia. I am of the mindset (pun totally intended) to
keep things simple – so I think of this disease in 4 stages:
Early-, Middle-, Late- and End-Stage; or Mild, Moderate, Severe and
ultimately the dying process.
The stages are helpful for understanding the overall picture of
what to expect with a person’s ability and should be used as a
general guide. I see people all the time trying to peg a loved one
into one of the 7 stages and wants to know if the person is leaving
Stage 4 and entering Stage 5. At the end of the day, you are going
to have to adapt the care provided to the moment and the person in
front of you, regardless of stage or progression. There’s often a
lot of overlap and I recommend you don’t get caught up in the
specific stages – even if you’re using these three.
Here’s what we know about Alzheimer’s disease – it’s a progressive,
neurodegenerative disease, meaning your brain fails over time. When
your brain fails, that means your ability to do anything for
yourself is going to fail by time you get to the Late-Stage. How
quickly a person deteriorates varies – and can range from 4-8
years, and up to 20, depending on how healthy the person is
otherwise.
Early-Stage Alzheimer’s – or Mild
In the early stages, a person may be able to function pretty
independently. They may be able to drive familiar routes, work, and
participate in social activities. The symptoms may not be very
apparent at this stage, but family and close friends may notice
some changes such as forgetting familiar words – See my Podcast on
the Ten Warning Signs – or where they put things.
Common symptoms or difficulties in this stage include:
✔️ Trouble remembering names when introduced to new people
✔️ Coming up with the right name or word – particularly nouns
✔️ Losing or misplacing valuable or commonly used items
✔️ Have trouble with planning or organizing
✔️ Have difficulty performing tasks at work
Middle-stage Alzheimer’s – or Moderate
The middle stage is the longest stage and can last for many years.
During this stage, the symptoms are going to be much more apparent,
and the person is going to need a greater level of care. The person
may get confused or angry or act in unexpected ways – like refusing
to bathe. The person is going to have more trouble expressing
thoughts, may confuse words or have trouble performing routine
tasks without assistance.
Common symptoms or difficulties in this stage include:
✔️ Being moody, think mood swings; especially in mentally or
socially challenges situations
✔️ Will have much easier time recalling information from long ago
and have more difficulty with short-term memory - meaning they can
remember childhood or young adulthood memories but can’t recall
what they had for breakfast.
✔️ They may be more confused about what day it is – or where they
are. We lost our orientation to time first, then place, then
person; meaning they will know who they are for longer than they
know where they are or what year/ season they are in.
✔️ They may need help choosing clothes that are appropriate for the
season or the occasion
✔️ Trouble with bowel or bladder; or may get their days and nights
mixed up.
✔️ May wander more and get lost easier.
✔️ May have personality or behavioral changes – such as delusions,
compulsiveness or suspiciousness or they may have more repetitive
behaviors like wringing their hands or shredding tissues
In the middle stages, the person can still participate in
activities of daily living, like bathing, grooming or getting
dressed, but they will need assistance. You should adjust the
amount of care you provide based on what the person can do in the
moment and simplify tasks if you can. Care will get more intense
over time, so know what resources you have in your community like
Adult Day Care or Respite Care so you can get a temporary break
from caregiving while your loved one is in a safe place.
Alzheimer’s disease is one that makes us all take one day at the
time and live in the present. It can be a very long process, so I
hope this information and recommendations for finding support have
been helpful. Thank you for watching this video and/or listening to
the podcast today.