Alzheimer’s Brief

Stage three – SEVERE

• Problems with eating
• Speech problem, don’t speak at all
• Don’t recognize you, family members
• Poor control of bowels, bladder
• Problems with walking

Stage two – MODERATE

• Hard time dressing for the occasion
• Forget to shave or shower
• Argue more often
• Believe things real when they’re not
• Wander, often at night
• Need close supervision
• Trouble with simple tasks (washing)

Stage One – MILD

• Memory loss, poor recall recent events
• Trouble naming common items
• Ask same thing over and over
• Get lost easily
• Lose interest in things they like to do

Alzheimer’s does not affect the person the same way. The main thing to watch for is a change in normal behavior in your loved one. If you see any unusual lapses in memory or if your loved one experiences uncharacteristic mood swings, make special arrangements to see your doctor. It’s important to engage other family members early, so they don’t resist the idea that these changes could be cause by the disease.

A comparison of normal aging with earky Alzheimer’s follows:

• Forget names of people you rarely see.
• Forget names of people close to you.
• Briefly forget part of an experience.
• Forget a recent experience.
• Not putting things away properly.
• putting things away in strange places.
• Mood changes with appropriate cause.
• Having unpredictable mood changes.
• Changes in Personal Interests.
• Decreased interest in all activities.

After early diagnosis, Alzheimer’s disease progresses through three stage over an 8 to 10 year period. It’s Important to know that with early detection and proper treatment;you can help slow down the progress of this disease.