As promised in the previous post, here are some things to know about the stages and treatments for Alzheimer's disease.
Like many other conditions, Alzheimer's disease comes in stages. There are seven stages, although many doctors combine them into three:
- Mild/Early Stage. The symptoms aren't usually noticeable-even to a doctor-in the very beginning. As time goes on, the person may become more forgetful of things such as the correct names for things, and will lose things more often than normal. They may have problems with basic arithmetic such as counting forward or backward by 4s, or with organizing and planning. They may withdraw from others. Many of us do these things to a degree; the main indicator is that they are becoming worse and more noticeable by friends and family.
- Moderate/Mid-Stage. The cognitive impairments get in the way of daily life. Forgetting one's own address and phone number is common. They may start to have problems with recognizing family and friends, personal hygiene and dressing themselves properly.They may be unaware of their surroundings and wander off or think they are back in another time in their life. For instance, they may think they have to pick their child up from school and not remember that said child is now an adult. They may occasionally have trouble with eating or using the bathroom, and will have major problems with sleep patterns. Incontinence becomes more frequent. Personality changes such as depression, violent anger or paranoia become more pronounced.
People at this stage start to experience what is called 'sundowning'-the worsening of
symptoms toward the end of the day.
- Severe/Late Stage. At this stage, the person will become incontinent and no longer be able to eat or care for themselves in any way. They will not be aware of their surroundings. As the end comes near, the person will no longer be able to speak or sit up on their own.
It can be difficult to tell what stage someone is in because they often overlap. Even so, it's important to know what to expect. It will be much easier to care for the person and for yourself if you know what's coming and not to take it personally. Remember, their behavior is the disease talking, not them.
Unfortunately, it appears that the progression of Alzheimer's cannot be slowed or stopped. Drugs such as Aricept and Exelon may be able to slow it down temporarily (say, for about 6-12 months), but there's no way to completely stop or delay the progression. Some doctors will also opt to treat individual symptoms such as depression.
Some things you can do to make things as good for yourself and the other person as possible are:
- Do things to exercise the brain, such as doing crossword puzzles or sudoku.
- Exercise and eat healthily.
- Keep things free of clutter or anything the person could trip over. You might want to invest in a walker or guard rails for stability. Also, try to limit the number of mirrors in the house because the person may no longer be able to recognize themselves and may become fearful of 'the other person'.
- Make sure the person is comfortable, such as room temperature and hunger or thirst.
- Keep everything as calm and routine as possible, because any major changes can be problematic.
- As time goes on, you may not be able to leave the person unattended for any length of time.
As they say, 'Knowledge is power.' While I'm not entirely sure who 'they' are, learning as much as you can about an illness such as Alzheimer's can only help. If you think you or a loved one may have Alzheimer's, ask your doctor. That's the only way you will know for sure. For more information, check out http://www.alz.org.
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