Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Stages Explained

Maybe you’ve possibly done it yourself, more times than you care to count; forgetting what it was that you walked into the room to get. Or how about all those times when you’ve set your keys down for just a moment and, for the life of you, you just can’t find them? You could have confirmed that you set them down there, right in plain view, and yet they seem to have disappeared into thin air. It can be insufferably frustrating, angering you until you want to shout (not to mention making you late) and, other times, it can be nearly frightening and confusing when it happens, making you feel as if you’re acting brainless or, worse yet, losing your mind. But may it be the beginning of your dementia stages?

In most cases, we see these ordinary mental slips and think nothing about them. Sometimes, the brain just doesn’t seem to want to connect when you ask it a question like, “What are seven times five?” Not only is it a usual happening all the way through life, but we also attribute it to senior age - as time goes by, you tend to get a bit more forgetful. “Seniors tend to be rather absent-minded,” some might say and, for the most part, it’s so. Most people, who suffer brief lapses in memory or thought, are not suffering from Alzheimer’s disease but, for a few of them, these very slight signals can be just the tip of the iceberg.

Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease can be much like a cat, stalking a mouse. In the beginning, its approach is barely noticeable and easily overlooked; patients suffer slight memory lapses, where they forget details of current events, twist things around or, occasionally forget names, faces, or directions. Math and spelling may cause the sporadic pause but, generally, these ‘spells’ are short-lived in those who are in the primary Alzheimer’s or dementia stages. Making things even more difficult is the fact that Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia have no definite test that can be given to expose their presence. Actually, the only way that a doctor can be 100% confident on a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, so far, is for an autopsy to be performed on the patient, after s/he has passed away. While a doctor may expect or guess that the diagnosis is Alzheimer’s disease, he can never be 100% sure about this. There is no exact test may be performed to diagnose this condition.

Since the condition progresses, the patient becomes more confused and their forgetfulness now begins to interfere with their daily activities and routines. The person suffering from the second Alzheimer’s disease and dementia stages may forget to brush his/her teeth or will leave the house without brushing his/her hair. At times, it can be more drastic, like the person trying to walk out of the house without clothing or heading out into the snow in their bare feet.

Fairly often, it is at this stage when the patient will begin to lose significant memories, such as not recognizing loved ones. Unexpectedly finding themselves in odd surroundings, one can only imagine how frightening it must seem, having a stranger come up and try to insist they are your son or daughter and trying to contact you. Obviously, it comes as little surprise that Alzheimer’s patients, at this stage of the dementia, are also prone to becoming worried or hostile and, if left unattended, will commonly wander from where they are supposed to be.

Unhappily, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease, nor is there any way of reversing its effects on those who fall victim to it. Believed to stem from a disorder in the nerve cells and chemical transmitters in the brain, this condition will continue until the patient not only loses the memories of friend and family, but also memories of learning how to talk, walk, use the toilet, and so on. In time, they have no other choice than having to have full time, and total, care.

In the final Alzheimer’s disease and dementia stages, the patient has generally lost their ability to communicate and has forgotten easy things that we take for granted, like how to swallow or the ability to breathe. While people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease have been known to live for 20 years after being diagnosed with it, the regular amount of remaining time is usually about 8 years. Watching a loved one slip out over several years can be shocking to a family and crushing for loved ones. The fourth most frequent cause of death amongst our elderly, Alzheimer’s is a serious condition and scientists continue to study it, in hopes of finding ways to strike it.