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Dementia
See Also:
Dementia:
Introduction
Dementia: Types
Dementia:
Causes & Risk Factors
Dementia: Signs &
Symptoms
Dementia: Stages
Dementia: Medical Tests
& Diagnosis Methods
Dementia:
Treatment & Prevention Options
Stages
Dementia can be divided
into seven stages which are similar to those in Alzheimer’s
disease. The seven stages of dementia are as follows:
I. No impairment of normal function: No sign
of memory loss are visible to a medical professional nor does
the patient experience any symptoms.
II. Very mild cognitive decline: People may
experience some loss of memory such forgetting familiar words,
names, or location of wristwatch, eyeglasses or any such objects
of daily use. Family, friends or colleagues may observe these
signs.
III. Mild cognitive decline: Early stage dementia
can be diagnosed only in some individuals with the following
symptoms:
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The patient has trouble
remembering words or names.
The patient loses the ability to
remember names of individuals newly introduced to
him or her.
Difference in performance can be
easily noticeable in work environment, social
environment by family, friends or colleagues.
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Less retention from articles or stories read in a
magazine or book.
The patient misplaces or loses
valuable objects.
Decreased ability to plan or
organize.
IV. Moderate cognitive decline: It is a mild or early
stage dementia with the following clear cut deficiencies being observed:
The patient fails recollect
recent incidents or current events.
The patient cannot perform some
challenging mental arithmetic such as counting
backwards from say 100 by 7s.
The patient is not able to plan
or organize complex tasks such as arranging a
party, planning a picnic etc.,
The patient would remain socially
withdrawn and silent in challenging situations.
V. Moderately severe cognitive decline:
It is a moderate or mid-stage AD with major gaps in
memory and deficits in cognitive function. Assistance
with daily activities may be required and following
deficiencies are observed:
The patient fails to recall
current address, telephone number and name of the
college or school from which they graduated.
The patient is in a confused
state of mind with regards to their current
location, date, day of the week, season etc.,
The patient fails to perform even
lesser challenging mental arithmetic such as
counting backwards from 40 by 4s.
The patient requires help in
choosing the appropriate clothing for a
particular season or occasion.
Generally, the patient retains
substantial knowledge and can tell his/her own
name, names of their spouse or children.
The patients do not require any
assistance for eating or using toilet.
VI. Severe cognitive decline: It is the next to the
last stage and is also called moderately severe or mid-stage of dementia
with memory difficulties continuing to worsen, personality changes emerging
substantially and the patients requiring a considerable amount of help
for carrying out their day-to-day activities. The following symptoms
are observed in the patients:
The patient loses track of some
of the most recent experiences, events and even
their surroundings. The patient cannot recall
personal history exactly, though she/he can
recall her/his name perfectly. The patient can
distinguish familiar faces from unfamiliar faces.
The patient requires help to
dress appropriately, since they tend to create
errors such as wearing shoes on the wrong feet
etc.,
The patient experiences a
disturbance in normal sleep/waking cycle.
The patient would require the
help for handling details of toileting such as
flushing toilet, wiping and proper disposal of
tissue paper.
There are increasing episodes of
urinary or fecal incontinence.
Changes in behavior including
suspicion and delusions such as suspecting the
care giver as an impostor, hallucinations,
repetitive behavior such as hand wringing etc.,
The patient tends to wander and
become lost.
VII. Very severe cognitive decline: It is the ultimate
stage and is called Severe or late-stage with the patient losing the
ability to respond to the environment, unable to communicate orally
and unable to control movements.
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Very often patients in this stage lose the ability
to communicate in a recognizable speech though they utter phrases
occasionally.
Patients need assistance in
eating and toileting with “general
incontinence of urine” (9).
Patients gradually lose the ability to walk without
support, to sit, to smile and hold their head up. Muscles
become rigid and reflexes abnormal with swallowing
becoming impaired (9).
See Also:
Dementia:
Introduction
Dementia: Types
Dementia:
Causes & Risk Factors
Dementia: Signs &
Symptoms
Dementia: Stages
Dementia: Medical Tests
& Diagnosis Methods
Dementia:
Treatment & Prevention Options
Article by Kona Vishnu, MS
Medical Writer,
OmniMedicalSearch.com
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