Understanding the 7 stages of Alzheimer's disease

Understanding Alzheimer's

Medical experts believe Alzheimer's patients experience seven stages of disease progression. However, it is important to remember these stages vary from person to person, not everyone will experience every symptom, and these symptoms may occur at different times in different people.

Seven stages of Alzheimer's

1. No cognitive impairment. Individuals at this stage show no marked decline in their cognitive function.
2. Very mild decline. Individuals may experience moments of forgetfulness, such as the location of eyeglasses or someone's name. Yet, these issues may not be evident to family members, friends or even the family physician.
3. Mild cognitive decline. Known as early-stage Alzheimer's, family and friends may begin to notice the symptoms. Common symptoms include an inability to plan, word-finding problems, or poor short-term recall when reading.
4. Moderate cognitive decline. Known as early-stage or mild Alzheimer's, the symptoms can be clearly defined during medical interviews. The individual may have a decreased ability to handle complex tasks such as managing finances, have problems remembering personal history, and may seem withdrawn.
5. Moderately severe cognitive decline. Known as mid-stage Alzheimer's, patients may now have significant gaps in memory and assistance with daily activities may be required. Individuals may become confused about where they are and may have problems remembering their address or telephone number.
6. Severe cognitive decline. At this stage, the individual may experience personality changes and require a significant amount of help with daily activities. They may have an inability to recall recent experiences, need help getting dressed, may forget the name of their spouse, or may start wandering.
7. Very severe cognitive decline. In late-stage Alzheimer's, individuals ultimately lose the ability to speak, respond to the environment around them and--in the end--the ability to control movement.

Understanding the various stages of Alzheimer's can be helpful for understanding how the disease progresses as well as for making future caregiving plans. There are numerous services that can help, so you don't have to go it alone.