Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive form of dementia that impacts memory skills, speaking and comprehension, and reasoning skills. It’s the most common type of dementia that affects over 6 million U.S. adults. Starting dementia home care services early in the diagnosis helps your senior adjust to the care that they will provide.
There are seven stages of Alzheimer’s, and your mom’s care needs increase with each stage.
Home Care Hillsborough NJ – What Are the Seven Stages of Alzheimer’s?” width=”300″ height=”300″ /> Dementia Home Care Hillsborough NJ – What Are the Seven Stages of Alzheimer’s?Stage One: No Visible Impairment
It’s believed that Alzheimer’s begins long before noticeable symptoms appear. The changes in the brain are starting, but other than slight forgetfulness that is easily written off as being normal aging, it’s not alarming.
Stage Two: Some Forgetfulness
Forgetfulness appears in the second stage and is rarely too concerning. It’s often blamed on postmenopausal brain fog for women or simply a problem many elderly people face. Memory problems are apparent, but they’re not too bad. Most daily activities like driving, taking medications, paying bills, and cooking meals aren’t impacted.
Stage Three: Difficulty With Memory
By the third stage, challenges with memory are noticeable. This is often when someone goes to the doctor for advice. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is often the diagnosis and it may progress, but it doesn’t have to. You might find your mom withdraws at social events as she can’t remember what people tell her or what their names are.
Stage Four: Cognitive Skills Are Impacted
The fourth stage is where other cognitive skills beyond memory are impacted. Your mom may no longer be able to count money or keep her home organized. She might forget words, what day it is, or how to match her clothing to the weather.
Stage Five: Loss of Independence
In the fifth stage, your mom’s independence is diminishing. There are many things she cannot do on her own. If she tries to cook dinner, she forgets about it. You come in to find the house filled with smoke. She might not know who someone is or when she last ate or drank anything.
Stage Five is also when sundowning is likely to occur. Your mom may become paranoid, delusional, and even see things that aren’t there when hallucinating.
Stage Six: Symptoms Are Severe
This is the second to last stage, and it’s often when around-the-clock caregivers are essential. Your mom may no longer talk. If she does, it’s a jumble of words that make no sense. Her agitation can be a sign that something is causing pain, but it can also be frustration with her loss of abilities.
Stage Seven: Final Stage
At this stage, your mom may stop eating, become unable to walk on her own, and may become bedridden. As her brain reaches the final stages of deterioration, she may no longer swallow without choking, and she may require sponge baths instead of being able to get in and out of the shower.
The sooner you set your mom up with dementia home care aides, the better it is for her. She has time to adjust to having someone help out, while she still has some memory skills to get used to her caregiver’s face and name.
Call our dementia home care agency and learn more about Alzheimer’s care. You’ll go over prices as you discuss what stage your mom is at and what her Alzheimer’s care needs are.
If you or an aging loved one is considering Dementia Home Care Services in Hillsborough NJ please contact the caring staff at Expert Home Care today at (732) 937-5320.
We have been providing Home Health Care to New Jersey families since 1985, and have grown to become one of the largest licensed providers of Live-In Home Care in the upper New Jersey area. Our many years of New Jersey home care experience has produced a company that over 8,000 clients have come to rely on confidently, for help.
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