What are the three stages of dementia?
- Mild dementia: Patients may still live independently but experience memory loss.
- Moderate dementia: The longest stage of dementia. Here, patients experience difficultly expressing themselves.
- Late Stage Dementia: Patients in this stage have very minimal expression and communication and have deteriorated cognitive skills.
The best dementia caregivers in Chicago say that dementia starts years before symptoms start to appear. This means that patients don’t normally get diagnosed until the disease has mildly developed. Once diagnosed, they can be categorized into three different stages.
Mild Dementia
Caregivers in Chicago say that some with mild dementia is still capable of living independently and do things like drive, work, and socializewithout help. However they will still experience memory lapses, such as forgetting familiar words and location of objects used every day. They may also seem to have difficulty doing some of the most ordinary things or just be a bit off in general. Medically, doctors may be able to detect problems in memory and concentration in people in this stage of dementia.
Other symptoms include:
Forgetting what they just read Frequently losing things Difficulty with planning Uncharacteristically poor judgment
Moderate Dementia
This is the longest stage and this can last many years. As the stage progresses, the afflicted person will need more and more care.People in this stage would often get their words mixed up, be in frustrated or angry mood, and act unexpectedly. This is because the damage done to the brain in this stage can make it difficult for them to express themselves. It’s not hard to understand why they easily get frustrated.
Other symptoms include:
- Forgetting recent and major events
- Feeling moody and withdrawing from social events or thinking too much
- Forgetting important information, such as address, numbers, school names, etc
- Not knowing the time and day
- Inability to choose appropriate clothing for occasions Irregular sleeping patterns
- Frequent wandering
- Behavior changes, such as paranoia, delusions, and compulsive, repetitive behavior
- Incontinence or the loss of bladder control
Late-Stage Dementia
This is the final stage and people here deteriorate to the point where they can no longer engage in the world. Not only can they not hold a conversation, but they also lose control of their own muscles. Technically they still talk talk, but expressions and communication are very minimal even when they feel pain.
Their memory and cognitive skills may get worse and worse. Their personality may significantly change or fade altogether.
Other symptoms include:
- Need of round the clock care; usually best done by dementia caregivers in Chicago
- Decreasing ability to express and communicate
- No sense of surroundings
- Loss of memory of recent experiences
- Decreasing ability to do physical activities, such swallowing, walking, sitting, etc
- Prone to infections like pneumonia
All these stages apply to all forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s. But it is very possible for a patient to fit one specific stage or even go through all of them. As is the case with most conditions, the progression of the diseases may vary from person to person.
Key Takeaway
By pinpointing what stage a patient is in, one can better understand what he is going through. Try to identify what stage your loved one is in so you are more aware and better prepared. It also helps in choosing your best options for treating dementia. Should you need to call in the best dementia caregivers in Chicago, then by all means, do so!
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