The Different Stages Of Alzheimer’s Disease

November 23, 2022 0 Comment Category: Assisted Living

Alzheimer’s is a progressive disease that develops slowly and gradually worsens. In the opinion of senior
care experts, the disease usually develops over a period of many years, impacting memory, language,
problem-solving, thinking, and even the personality of the sufferer. Though not every person suffering
from Alzheimer’s will experience the same disease progression rate, there is a similar path that patients
follow with the progress of the disease. Senior care experts in our assisted living facility share the
different stages of dementia progression.

Before Diagnosis: No Dementia

In the seven-stage model of dementia progression, a person is not considered to have dementia in the
first three stages, as the symptoms will be usually associated with that of typical aging and will not be
noticeable. Senior care experts also call this pre-clinical Alzheimer’s disease.

First Stage: No Impairment

In stage one, the person will not have any memory impairment or any evident dementia symptoms. In
the first stage of the disease, Alzheimer’s will be undetectable and the stage is sometimes referred to as
No Cognitive Decline.

Second Stage: Very Mild Cognitive Decline

In the second stage, the person will start to experience forgetfulness. They may forget where they left
their purse or keys and the symptoms might not be noticed by the healthcare provider or family
member of the person.

Third Stage: Mild Cognitive Decline

The person will experience increased forgetfulness and slight difficulty with concentration. The
symptoms at this stage of the disease can lead to reduced work performance for working people. Those
who do not work outside can experience reduced performance in household tasks like cooking and
cleaning. Also, they may struggle to find the right words while communicating with others.
In the third stage, increased forgetfulness and reduced performance might be noticed by the family
members of the person. Dementia care experts say that the average duration of the third stage is about
seven years before the onset of dementia.

Early Stage Dementia

In the first three stages, a person is not considered to have dementia. However, in the fourth stage,
things change and the person will be considered to have early-stage dementia.

Fourth Stage: Moderate Cognitive Decline

This stage is clinically described as early-stage dementia and a person at this stage can experience
increased forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating, and managing finances. In addition, they can have
challenges when traveling to unfamiliar locations alone and can have difficulty organizing and expressing
thoughts.

Fifth Stage: Moderately Severe Cognitive Decline

In this stage, major memory deficiencies will be present. People in this stage of dementia will need help
with activities of daily living. Memory deficits will be severe in this stage and the person will often forget
important details like their phone number or home address.

Sixth Stage: Severe Cognitive Decline

This is a period in which the sufferer will need substantial help to carry out daily activities. Also, people
in the sixth stage of dementia will face difficulty completing tasks or exhibiting cognitive skills.

Last-Stage Dementia

The seventh stage is the final stage in the three-stage model of Alzheimer’s disease. It is also called late-
stage dementia.

Seventh Stage: Very Severe Cognitive Decline

This is the final stage of the progression of dementia disorders. Most people at this stage will have lost
their ability to communicate and will need help with most of their activities like eating, bathing,
toileting, dressing and other activities of daily living, round the clock.
As people in the final stage of dementia often lose psychomotor capabilities, they can find it difficult to
walk and will need significant help with ambulation. Experts in various assisted living facilities across the
county say that the last stage of dementia lasts an average of three years.