These are the different dementia stages and the symptoms.
Here are the different dementia stages and the signs and symptoms that come with each stage of this condition you don’t know yet.
More and more people are being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. There is no cure yet for these cognitive disorders but there are medications available to slow down the progression and lessen some symptoms.
Among the general symptoms of dementia include:
- Memory loss
- Difficulty communicating and language problems
- Disorientation
- Problems in coordination and motor skills
- Confusion
- Personality changes
- Depression
- Anxiety
Simple activities may help reduce the risk of this cognitive condition like journaling and playing chess. Healthy lifestyle choices can reduce the risk of this like staying physically active, maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding smoking, and treating high blood pressure through food choices and other ways.
Dementia has seven different stages which are categorized into three progressive phases:
- Pre-dementia or early-stage dementia
- Moderate or middle-stage dementia
- Severe or late-stage dementia
These are the different stages
- Stage 1: No cognitive impairment
This sounds a bit odd but in this stage, no cognitive failure will be displayed. It would just look like the person has a normal mental function. The changes are still taking place.
- Stage 2: Very mild cognitive decline
In this stage, the person will likely display forgetfulness like forgetting where he put his key or what is the names of a person. The signs include losing track of familiar objects and being unable to recognize the names of people.
- Stage 3: Mild cognitive decline
This stage is also called mild cognitive impairment and the problem occurs regularly but these things will not really affect his or her daily function. The symptoms are forgetfulness, minor memory loss, getting lost, decreased performance, verbal repetition, difficulty in completing complex tasks, and problems with driving.
- Stage 4: Moderate cognitive decline
This is the stage where a person would display obvious cognitive decline and some changes in personality. The symptoms are social withdrawal, emotional moodiness, lack of responsiveness, forgetting recent events, and being in denial of these symptoms.
- Stage 5: Moderately severe cognitive decline
This is the mid-stage of this condition and at this stage, he or she may no longer do things normally. The person will need assistance and supervision from other people. The signs include memory loss, confusion, forgetfulness, disorientation, and mental abilities are further reduced.
- Stage 6: Severe cognitive decline
This marks the need for a caregiver to help the person in doing basic tasks like eating and using the toilet. The symptoms are sleep difficulties, incontinence, aggression, anxiety, changes in personality, inability to perform daily activities, and not being able to recognize other people.
- Stage 7: Very severe cognitive decline
This is late-stage dementia and at this stage, the person is no longer able to take care of himself or herself. Both verbal and physical abilities will be lost. The symptoms include the inability to speak, inability to move, and lack of physical coordination.
What can you say about this? Let us know!