We know you’ve heard of Alzheimer’s, as it is the most common form of dementia and affects nearly 6 million Americans. You may even know it affects your memory, but what else do you know about Alzheimer’s? This disease can be tricky to understand and even more difficult to predict as each individual going through it can progress at a different speed.
In an attempt to break down the complexities of Alzheimer’s, we would have to start at the beginning. Often times the two popular terms associated with memory loss: Alzheimer’s and dementia, get thrown around interchangeably when they are in fact slightly different. As defined by the Alzheimer’s Association, “Dementia is a general term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life.” Alzheimer’s disease accounts for the vast majority of dementia cases but is not the only form of dementia. Other kinds of dementia present in different ways and have different progressions than Alzheimer’s including vascular dementia, dementia with lewy bodies, and frontotemporal dementia to name a few.
But what is Alzheimer’s? What makes it so different? Alzheimer’s is known as a “progressive disease” in that it not only affects memory, it progresses to eventually impact mobility and the swallow function. Alzheimer’s Association categorizes Alzheimer’s into 3 general stages known as mild, moderate, and severe. What is difficult to grasp for most people though is that each person progresses differently through each stage. One person may be in the mild stage for many years and then progress through moderate and severe rather quickly. Others may remain in the moderate stage for years and have only been “mild” for a short period.
So how do you identify which stage your loved one is in? There are specific characteristics to each stage that may assist in identifying and assisting your loved one if you are aware of the stages/progression.
Mild
A difficult concept for most people to understand about the mild stage is that some individuals are independent or near independent. This is the stage where the individual may begin to notice lapses in memory or general word finding difficulty. They may begin to lose items or even have increasing difficulty with tasks that were once simple. It may even be you or another loved one who begins to notice these changes.
The first thing we always recommend is to schedule an appointment with your primary care provider. But if you’re noticing changes there are some at home tests that you can take to bring with you to your appointment with your MD. Your healthcare provider can offer more information as well about clinical trials and medications to slow the progression or to treat the symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s. The mild stage is also the time to get legal and official documents sorted and to assign a POA (power of attorney).
Moderate
The moderate stage, which is typically the longest of the three stages is known for it’s progression into the physical difficulties. This can include increased difficulty sleeping or even controlling ones bladder and bowels. In addition to physical difficulties, the mental challenges also worsen. Increased forgetfulness, confusion about where they are, and an increased risk for wandering due to these worsening factors.
With these challenges and difficulties, frustrations and outbursts often arrive. Individuals may experience behavior and personality changes including increased suspicion or delusions. Often times, states of increased frustration or outbursts can be associated with the evening time, known as sundowning. For more tips and strategies on how to manage sundowning, click here. Sundowning can occur in both moderate to late stages of Alzheimer’s.
During the moderate stages of Alzheimer’s individuals will begin to require more assistance with every day tasks including bathing, dressing, making decisions, etc. They may still be able to have a conversation, but certain more social situations can increase anxiety and cause individuals to withdraw more because of the struggle of communicating. Check out some of our strategies that can be used for communicating with loved ones with memory deficits.
Severe
Severe or end stage Alzheimer’s is exactly as it sounds. The individual will likely require 24/7 care for all self cares and daily activities as their abilities decline both physically and mentally. Individuals will experience changes in mobility and decreasing control of swallow function with need for assistance.
Individuals in the severe stage will likely need assist with eating such as cutting food up into smaller pieces, encouragement to eat, and some can even require modified food. Pureed food or thicker liquids can reduce risk for aspirating (inhalation of any foreign body) and in turn reduce risk for pneumonia.
What causes Alzheimer’s?
The current debate in the Alzheimer’s world is if the cause is genetic, environmental, lifestyle, or even a combination of a couple of these concepts. Presently there is no affirmative answer, but there have been some notable links between Alzheimer’s and heart health.
Controlling cardiovascular disease (diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels) such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes can also lower your risk for Alzheimer’s. Having difficulty getting your heart health under control? Add regular exercise to your life/routine. Check out the many benefits of exercise here.
According to research from the University of Cambridge the biggest risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease are, “a lack of exercise, smoking, depression and poor education.” In full the 7 main risk factors they found are diabetes, mid life hypertension, mid life obesity, physical activity, depression, smoking, and low educational attainment. Their research seems to think that 1 in 3 Alzheimer’s cases can be preventable. Another reason to GET MOVING!
Is there a cure for Alzheimer’s?
Presently there is no cure for Alzheimer’s but there are treatments out for the symptoms of Alzheimer’s including treatments to slow the progression or delay the onset. Check out Alzheimer’s Association for more information on research and treatments available.
Clinical Trials are also a huge part of Alzheimer’s research and have potential for slowed progression of the disease. They just need your help! Check out National Institute on Aging for a comprehensive search for clinical trials in your area.
Have any other questions on Alzheimer’s? See if we can help, check out our forum.
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