| One of the most common forms of dementia, | | | | cognitive problems, as well as personality changes. |
| Alzheimer's disease stages progress towards the | | | | The afflicted person will often repeat questions, lose |
| death of the patient. This degenerative, debilitating | | | | things, be disoriented and have ever more common |
| neurological disorder is thus far incurable. | | | | disruptions in their mental faculties. They will |
| Affecting the lives of anyone who encounters the | | | | experience a loss of their ability to understand or |
| patient, the effects of the disease can be draining | | | | respond to language, both written and verbal. Anger |
| for the caregiver as well as the patient. Three | | | | often crops up during this stage, and the frustration |
| Alzheimer's disease stages are generally agreed to | | | | of the sufferer is understandable in this Alzheimer's |
| exist, though some break these three down into | | | | disease stage. |
| substages. | | | | Behavior changes are seen frequently in this stage of |
| Forgetting names, including those belonging to people | | | | Alzheimer's disease, and there will be a sharp drop in |
| and things are commonly seen in the early stage of | | | | their ability to take care of themselves - they will |
| this disorder - and this is when most patients are | | | | begin to need help taking care of daily tasks like |
| diagnosed. The first thing to go, studies have shown, | | | | bathing and eating. |
| is the memory of smells. These memory lapses | | | | The last Alzheimer's disease stage is characterized by |
| increase in frequency along with the progression of | | | | a near complete loss of the ability to function |
| the disease. | | | | mentally and physically. The patient is essentially |
| In the early stage, the patient is often aware of his | | | | unrecognizable as the person they were before the |
| or her symptoms, but will often be in denial and try | | | | disease took hold of them due to the extensive brain |
| to find ways to cover for their memory losses. This | | | | damage which has occurred by this time. |
| can lead to stress as they may be angry with | | | | Care is needed nearly around the clock in this final |
| themselves for these lapses. It can also be because | | | | Alzheimer's disease stage, which leads to the |
| they know and fear what awaits them, for which | | | | caregiver being utterly exhausted. Once reaching this |
| surely they cannot be blamed. | | | | stage, the majority of patients will be receiving care |
| In the early Alzheimer's disease stage, the patient will | | | | from professionals at a hospital or hospice. This is a |
| have memory lapses though while not insignificant, do | | | | difficult decision to be made by the patient's loved |
| not yet prevent them from going about their daily | | | | ones. but continuing home care will not change the |
| life. The early Alzheimer's disease stage can last quite | | | | progress of the disease, and will almost certainly |
| some time, even years. | | | | have a deleterious effect on the caregiver at this |
| Upon arriving at the middle stage of the disease, the | | | | point. |
| patient will have some noticeable memory and | | | | |