Other symptoms can include confusion in the evening hours, anger, depression, delusions, mood swings, restlessness, lack of restaurant, paranoia , wandering, inability to create new memories, personality changes, inability to combine muscle movements, loss of appetite, and meaningless repetition of words.
While monitoring symptoms, keep in mind there are seven stages of decline to recognize Alzheimer’s. These stages range from unnoticeable to extremely distinguishable. Recognizing these stages and where your loved one may be at is key to getting a care plan to not only help maintain quality of life but keep loved ones safe.
Normal Outward Behavior – you will not usually notice any change in your loved one since change happens unnoticed in the brain in the beginning.
Very Mild Changes – this stage can simply include mishaps such as forgetting words or misplacing objects.
Mild Decline – this stage introduces a noticeable change in a loved one’s thought and reasoning processes.
Moderate Decline – this is when the changes you noticed in stage three become more prominent. People start to forget details, small personal details, and difficulty with tasks.
Moderately Severe Decline – loved ones could have trouble remembering their address, dates, and how to dress appropriately. This is typically when supervision might need to be started.
Severe Decline – when a person can recognize faces but not names. This stage is when delusions can set in and there will be a decline in motor functions. You also might notice a change in their sleeping pattern or weight loss.
Very Severe Decline – this stage is when basic abilities such as eating, and walking begin to decline. This final stage is when caregivers are absolutely needed to ensure quality of life.
Dementia
Unlike Alzheimer’s, dementia is not a disease. It is also not a normal part of aging. It is the overall term for the loss of memory, language, problem-solving abilities, and social abilities. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia, affecting 44 million worldwide.
Dementia is caused by abnormal brain changes that are caused by damaged nerve cells and their connections in certain areas of the brain. There are several types of dementia that can affect people differently and that have various symptoms. The common denominator between types of dementia is protein deposited in part of the brain.