The Stages of Alzheimer's Disease

Recently I heard of a man who was confused and didn’t know where he was. He was in his car, parked on the side of the road. He just sat there until the local police came to his rescue. It turned out that he was a missing person from the next town over and that he had Alzheimer’s disease.

Alois Alzheimer, a German neurologist, first described Alzheimer's disease or A.D. in 1906. A.D. is the most common cause of the progressive loss of intellectual abilities, know as dementia. It is a devastating and incurable disease that chiefly affects the elderly. It is already a major public health problem and it will become an even greater problem as the number and proportion of the elderly population increases.

The first and most noticeable symptom of Alzheimer’s disease is memory loss. The memory loss is the beginning of the first stage of a very long battle. They begin to forget the names of family members and the proper names for things such as calling the mail box the post office or by referring to the air coming out of the air conditioner as the east wind. They also begin to forget their normal every day tasks such as taking medication, paying the bills or doing the laundry.

The second or moderate stage is when things really start to get bad. The mental state worsens and it becomes evident that the disease is taking over their lives. Most family members are forgotten, especially those they only see a couple times a month. Confusion becomes a noticeable symptom during this stage. With the confusion comes the inability to make decisions of any kind and handling the finances become out of the question. It almost seems like they become a child all over again. You can see all the fear and uncertainty in their eyes.

The advanced stage usually begins a few years after the moderate stage begins. Mental disabilities become obvious and usually home care becomes impossible and they must be put into a nursing home. They forget who everyone is for the most part. They seem to know whose family and who isn’t, but very rarely do they remember a name or relationship. Physical changes also begin to take place during this stage. They have difficulty controlling bodily functions and they start sleeping more and more. They quickly start to fade away into the oblivion of this disease.

The last stage, also known as the latter stage usually occurs suddenly a couple of years after the advanced stage. Severe cognitive decline is the hallmark of this stage. Any confidence and dignity that is left is lost. Depression takes over and communication grows impossible. All cases are different, but some will begin having breathing problems and need oxygen. Some will stop eating and need feeding tubes. It’s soon after this that they will drift off to an endless slumber. The battle is finally over.

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By: C.Olvera
Published: 04/13/08