Alzheimer's develops slowly, starting with mild memory problems and ending in death. The course the disease takes and how fast changes occur vary from person to person.
The symptoms often progress through these Alzheimer's stages: mild, moderate, and severe.
Signs of mild Alzheimer's disease can include:
- memory loss
- confusion about the location of familiar places
- taking longer to accomplish normal daily tasks
- trouble handling money and paying bills
- poor judgment leading to bad decisions
- loss of spontaneity and sense of initiative
- mood and personality changes
- increased anxiety
Signs of moderate Alzheimer's disease can include:
- increasing memory loss and confusion
- shortened attention span
- problems recognizing friends and family members
- difficulty with language, including problems with reading and writing
- difficulty working with numbers
- difficulty organizing thoughts and thinking logically
- inability to learn new things or cope with new or unexpected situations
- restlessness, agitation, anxiety, tearfulness
- wandering -- especially in the late afternoon or at night
- repetitive statements or movement, occasional muscle twitches
- hallucinations and delusions, suspiciousness or paranoia, irritability
- loss of impulse control
- perceptual-motor problems
Symptoms of severe Alzheimer's disease include:
Inability to recognize family or loved onesInability to communicateloss of sense of selfweight lossseizures, skin infections, difficulty swallowinggroaning, moaning, or gruntingincreased sleepinglack of bladder and bowel controltotal dependence on the caregiverSource: NIHSeniorHealth.gov You can read more about the three Alzheimer's stages here. Jacqueline Marcell, the author of Elder Rage, discusses the three stages of Alzheimer's disease, common signs and symptoms, and gives other helpful tips for caregivers.
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