| Alzheimer's disease is an illness that sneaks | | | | decreased ability to plan events such as |
| in and attacks a victim without warning. | | | | dinner, decreased memory of personal history, |
| Once it establishes its foundation it slowly | | | | and social withdrawal from close |
| robs the victim of time, energy, function, | | | | friends.Stage FiveModerate to severe |
| and perhaps the most precious thing of all, | | | | cognitive decline. This is also called |
| memories.It seems the old adage, "No one can | | | | moderate or main stage Alzheimer's disease. |
| take this from you," doesn't hold true | | | | Memory deficits are much more severe during |
| anymore. Alzheimer's disease starts with | | | | this stage. The health care provider can |
| mild symptoms, and slowly progresses and | | | | usually detect Alzheimer's disease very |
| interferes with everyday functioning and even | | | | easily during this stage. Common symptoms |
| impairs simple judgment and movement.The | | | | include inability to recall important details |
| seven stages of Alzheimer's disease have been | | | | in personal life such as address or phone |
| documented in correspondence directly with | | | | number, counting backwards, difficulty in |
| underlying nerve cell degeneration. The | | | | choosing clothing for the season or current |
| damage to nerve cells began to affect the | | | | weather conditions, forgetting where common |
| victim with memory and learning. Nerve cell | | | | items are placed such as car keys, television |
| damage gradually affects every day thinking, | | | | remotes, and other items used commonly.Stage |
| judgment, and behavior. Alzheimer's disease | | | | SixSevere cognitive deficits. This is also |
| is unique in that it does not manifest itself | | | | called moderate to severe or main stage |
| with the same symptoms in every victim. Many | | | | Alzheimer's disease. Memory difficulties are |
| times, a person diagnosed with Alzheimer's | | | | worse than stage five. Individuals' |
| disease will not show signs of their illness | | | | personalities are affected and they may begin |
| for years after diagnosis. Survival of | | | | to withdraw or manifest severe personality |
| victims once diagnosed, can be anywhere from | | | | changes or disorders. The health care |
| three to twenty years. Medical science has | | | | professional will commonly detect inability |
| established a Global Deterioration Scale, | | | | to recall current events and events that took |
| which corresponds directly with underlying | | | | place in the last three months, inability to |
| nerve cell damage that takes place with | | | | recall personal history, inability to |
| Alzheimer's disease.Global Deterioration | | | | recognize close family members consistently, |
| ScaleStage OneNo signs of impairment. During | | | | inability to dress for current weather |
| this stage, individuals will typically show | | | | conditions, and difficulty or inability to |
| no signs of memory or impairment of | | | | perform personal hygiene tasks. The |
| judgement. They present no evidence of | | | | individual may also show signs of wandering, |
| Alzheimer's disease to the health care | | | | or hallucinating intermittently.Stage |
| professional.Stage TwoMild cognitive | | | | SevenVery severe cognitive deficits. This is |
| impairment. Individuals in this stage will | | | | also called severe or late stage Alzheimer's |
| typically present with very mild symptoms of | | | | disease. This is the final stage of |
| Alzheimer's disease. Symptoms during this | | | | Alzheimer's disease and manifests itself in |
| stage will typically manifest themselves with | | | | individuals with inability to respond |
| short memory lapses, such as forgiving | | | | properly to their environment, inability to |
| everyday items such as car keys, and | | | | speak properly, inability to complete |
| television remotes. It is difficult to | | | | coordinated muscle movements. The health |
| detect symptoms at this stage for the health | | | | care provider will also commonly detect an |
| care professional.Stage ThreeThis is the | | | | individual's inability to speak clearly, |
| stage where individuals began to show | | | | recall current events, recognize close family |
| consistent signs of Alzheimer's disease to | | | | members consistently, inability or severe |
| family, and may be easily detected by the | | | | difficulty with walking or transferring, and |
| health care professional. Detecting | | | | inability to swallow.The Global Deterioration |
| Alzheimer's disease during this stage will | | | | Scale is a system developed by medical |
| usually be noticed by close family members, | | | | professionals and helps to categorize each |
| or the closest of friends of the individual. | | | | individual in a certain stage of this unique |
| Common symptoms during this stage may be | | | | disease. Proper diagnosis and determination |
| forgetting simple short passages of reading | | | | of which stage an individual may be in is |
| material, misplacing common everyday items, | | | | critical to the proper care of the |
| decrease in ability to organize and plan | | | | individual. The improvement and |
| events, difficulty in remembering names of | | | | rehabilitation of each individual is |
| new people, and not finding the right words | | | | dependent upon proper diagnosis and placement |
| during discussions with other people.Stage | | | | within the proper stage. Some individuals |
| FourModerate cognitive deficits. This is | | | | have been documented to show some level of |
| also called mild or early stage Alzheimer's | | | | improvement with proper intervention.William |
| disease. During this stage a health care | | | | Riopelle, MS PT, is a senior physical |
| professional will detect deficiencies and | | | | therapist with over twelve years experience |
| knowledge of recent current events, | | | | working with people in the area of Home |
| difficulty to perform easy mental arithmetic, | | | | Health. |