Good for the elderly
Dementia is usually considered as three stages: mild (or “early”), moderate (or “middle”), and severe (or “late”).Apr 24, 2020
This model consists of the following 7 stages:
Someone in stages 1-3 does not typically exhibit enough symptoms for a dementia diagnosis. By the time a diagnosis has been made, a dementia patient is typically in stage 4 or beyond. Stage 4 is considered “early dementia ,” stages 5 and 6 are considered “middle dementia ,” and stage 7 is considered “late dementia .”
It’s usually a slowly progressing disease. The average person lives four to eight years after receiving the diagnosis. Some people may live as many as 20 years after their diagnosis. Alzheimer’s occurs due to physical changes in the brain, including a buildup of certain proteins and nerve damage.
The actual death of a person with dementia may be caused by another condition. They are likely to be frail towards the end. Their ability to cope with infection and other physical problems will be impaired due to the progress of dementia . In many cases death may be hastened by an acute illness such as pneumonia.
Sleeping more and more is a common feature of later- stage dementia . As the disease progresses, the damage to a person’s brain becomes more extensive and they gradually become weaker and frailer over time.
During the middle stages of Alzheimer’s , it becomes necessary to provide 24 – hour supervision to keep the person with dementia safe. As the disease progresses into the late-stages, around-the-clock care requirements become more intensive.
Symptoms of vascular dementia are similar to Alzheimer’s disease, although memory loss may not be as obvious in the early stages. Symptoms can sometimes develop suddenly and quickly get worse , but they can also develop gradually over many months or years.
Late-stage Alzheimer’s (severe) In the final stage of the disease, dementia symptoms are severe. Individuals lose the ability to respond to their environment, to carry on a conversation and, eventually, to control movement. They may still say words or phrases, but communicating pain becomes difficult.
Incontinence is a symptom that develops in the later stages of dementia . About 60 to 70 percent of people with Alzheimer’s develop incontinence . But it’s not a defining trait.
And average survival times varied from a high of 10.7 years for the youngest patients ( 65-69 years ) to a low of 3.8 years for the oldest (90 or older at diagnosis).
They could have: Different sleep -wake patterns. Little appetite and thirst. Fewer and smaller bowel movements and less pee. More pain. Changes in blood pressure, breathing, and heart rate. Body temperature ups and downs that may leave their skin cool, warm, moist, or pale.
Do People With Dementia Know Something Is Wrong With Them ? Alzheimer’s disease progressively destroys brain cells over time, so during the early stages of dementia , many do recognize something is wrong, but not everyone is aware. They may know they are supposed to recognize you, but they can’t.
A 50% survival time in men was 1.8 years (95% CI, 1.5-3.3 years ) in those with dementia and 4.4 years (95% CI, 3.5-5.8 years ) in those without dementia , and in women, 2.8 years in those with dementia (95% CI, 2.5-3.5 years ) and 6.5 years (95% CI, 6.0-6.9 years ) in those without dementia .
Resiberg’s system: Stage 1: No Impairment. During this stage, Alzheimer’s is not detectable and no memory problems or other symptoms of dementia are evident. Stage 2: Very Mild Decline . Stage 3: Mild Decline . Stage 4: Moderate Decline . Stage 5 : Moderately Severe Decline . Stage 6: Severe Decline . Stages 7: Very Severe Decline .
Hallucinations are caused by changes in the brain which, if they occur at all, usually happen in the middle or later stages of the dementia journey. Hallucinations are more common in dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson’s dementia but they can also occur in Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia .
“The development of this list has sometimes been taken the wrong way by family care partners. Don’t say ‘but you don’t look or sound like you have dementia ‘. Don’t tell us ‘ we are wrong’. Don’t argue with us or correct trivial things. Don’t say ‘remember when…’.