What follows is an answered portion of what appeared in the 10-03-14 Ludington Daily News Dr. K syndicated column. Since it so perfectly describes the five stages of Alzheimers from what observed in my father in-law, I thought it fitting to post here for future reference. I do recall from a stat a few years back that not too far in the future that possibly two in five Americans will be found to have had this disease. I just hope that for the sake of my family that one of those isnt me. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It’s impossible to predict exactly how Alzheimer’s disease will affect someone. Symptoms of the disease, and how quickly they progress, can vary widely from person to person. In some people, for reasons we don’t understand, the disease progresses very slowly. However rapidly Alzheimer’s disease progresses, it generally unfolds in five stages: — Stage 1. Memory problems begin. The person may misplace valuable objects. Their performance at work or in social situations begins to suffer. They may have more trouble expressing their thoughts. Personality changes also begin. A person may become withdrawn, apathetic, moody, depressed, irritable or anxious. — Stage 2. Memory problems are more obvious. It may be difficult for someone with Alzheimer’s to follow conversations. The person may have difficulty recalling current events or even bits of information from their own lives. Depression often becomes prominent. Reasoning and judgment skills are impaired. — Stage 3. Memory can fluctuate daily or even hourly. People sometimes forget major events in their lives. Often they are unaware of the date or the time of year. Their conversations may become disjointed and veer off track. You may see episodes of paranoia or anger. Stressful situations can trigger shouting, cursing or hitting. At this stage, people with Alzheimer’s can still manage many basic activities of daily living. But they can no longer live independently. — Stage 4. In this stage, you’ll see dramatic changes. Language skills drop sharply. Memory impairment becomes profound. A person remembers only bits and pieces of his or her past. People become less withdrawn, but they often develop behavior and emotional problems, including delusions and hallucinations. Sleep disturbances and wandering are also common. By this stage, the person will likely require help to bathe, toilet, dress and eat. — Stage 5. This stage has been called “the long goodbye.” There seems to be very little left of the person’s “self.” Motor skills decline until the person can no longer walk, sit up, chew and swallow food, or control bladder and bowel movements. As the brain shuts down, the person becomes unresponsive, lapses into a coma and finally dies. I am sorry to paint such a bleak picture, but unfortunately today we have no way of preventing or treating this terrible disease.
Posted on: Sat, 04 Oct 2014 21:02:39 +0000
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