Alzheimer's and how the disease progresses

A lot of older people forget someone’s name or misplace things from time to time. This kind of forgetfulness is normal. But, signs of a more serious problem are things such as forgetting how to get home or getting confused in places a person knows well or asking questions over and over. These are initial signs of Alzheimer's. Janet Rich Pittman and I are talking about an article on Alzheimer's and how the disease progresses. 

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. The disease progresses slowly and gradually and worsens over time. Eventually, it will affect most areas of your brain. Memory, thinking, judgment, language, problem-solving, personality and movement can all be affected by the disease.

Types of Dementia

Dementia is when a vast amount of brain cells die in a certain section of your brain and this causes your brain to misfunction. To clarify Alzheimer's is a disease and a type of dementia. Every Alzheimer's is different. Therefore, no two types of Alzheimer's are exactly the same.

There are a number of types of dementia, and Alzheimer's is one of them. Majority of the dementias in our world is Alzheimer's, about 87%. Other dementias that people are familiar with are vascular dementia (stroke). Also, there's Lewy Body, Parkinson's, Pick's, Creutzfeldt-Jakob, Huntington's, Multiple Sclerosis, Lou-Gehrig disease, and HIV Aids.

How Alzheimer's Disease Progresses

Although every person with Alzheimer's disease progresses differently, it is possible to divide its typical progression into a series of stages. The beginning, the middle and the end.

However, it is essential to make sure that a person with dementia has a good quality of life with the condition and that their needs are met, rather than focusing on what stage they might have reached.

Mild Alzheimer's

Mild is the beginning stages and it lasts a few years. Alzheimer's disease is often diagnosed at this stage. Dementia/Alzheimer's is officially diagnosed when you have 2 or more cognitive impairments in your brain.

Cognitive impairments are those are your ability to focus and pay attention, reasoning and judgment, senses, and visual perception. The very first one that goes is brain endurance, which is your brain energy. The second cognitive thing that you lose is your gait. Other symptoms include having less energy and drive to do things, trouble with driving, language problems, loss of recent memories, and mild coordination problems. Also, depression is a precursor and that is why you gotta beat that depression.

Moderate Alzheimer's

During this stage of Alzheimer's disease, people grow more confused and forgetful and begin to need more help with daily activities and self-care. And it can last 2 – 10 years. Symptoms include rambling speech, trouble coming up with the right words, using the wrong words, and hard time planning and solving problems. Getting angry or upset easily, and sometimes lashing out at family or caregivers. Sleeping is also another problem at this stage.

Another symptom of moderate Alzheimer is that your senses dilapidate. You're not able to smell very well. In addition, your ability to taste especially salt and sugar is weakened. That is why It makes you wanna eat more and more.

Severe Alzheimer's

In the late stage of the disease, the mental function continues to decline, and the disease has a growing impact on movement and physical capabilities. It lasts 1 – 10 years.

Now you have a major confusion of what's in the past and what's happening now. And that's the beginning of the end. It goes further to the fact where they quit talking. They may know your face but not know your name. Many people at this stage are physically impaired that is why caregivers are important.