What Are the Stages of Dementia?

[Music] foreign [Music] let's face it there is nothing neat or orderly about the stages of dementia research shows us that we are experiencing brain cell death approximately 20 years prior to showing any symptoms before we get started let's make sure that we understand that the stages of dementia can be very fluid and people with dementia can move from one stage to another or have symptoms from several different stages at any given time period it's not black and white it's actually Many Shades of Gray I'm Deborah costume your personal trainer for everything Alzheimer's and Dementia for the sake of this video I'm going to be using the GDs model or the global deterioration scale seven stage model of dementia using the GDs or the global deterioration scale model helps us to estimate the life expectancy and when life functions will diminish until the final outcome depending on your physician the doctor may use either a seven stage or a three-stage model make sure that you know which one your loved ones doctor is referring to I will do a video for each model and today I'll be covering the seven stage model the GDs or Global deterioration scale provides an overview of cognitive decline it is the seven stage model where caregivers can get a general idea of where their loved one falls in the progression of brain deterioration it is achieved by observing the patient's behavioral characteristics and comparing them to the CDs now again it's important to remember that these stages are fluid a person with dementia can fluctuate to some extent back and forth especially through the beginning and intermediate stages not so in the later stages or end of life generally speaking during stages one through three the subject is still independent these stages are considered pre-dementia stages with little or no noticeable symptoms do not obstruct living independently MCI or mild cognitive impairment would fall into these three categories stages four through seven are considered the dementia stages this patient is now requiring some or complete assistance of care beginning at stage five the person with Alzheimer's or dementia will rely on assistance at some level let's go over each stage the symptoms of each one remembering that people can show symptoms from more than one stage at a time the Alzheimer's Association is reporting that a person is actively losing brain cells from the disease up to 20 years before presenting with any symptoms let's now discuss the stages starting with stage one stage one no cognitive decline stage one is the best because no symptoms are present that's not to say that the disease is not there it is believe me the brain damage and cell death is well underway but the person will not be showing any symptoms at this point in the disease process the patient or your loved one will be functioning normally with no noticeable impact on memory or any need for intervention the brain is undergoing cell death and physical changes but it is not significant enough to show its ugly self to you just yet stage two very mild cognitive decline or aami which stands for age-associated memory impairment this person in stage two will test normally on a cognitive exam they are still independent in daily activities and they may notice slight memory loss family and friends might notice a slight deficit in memory this stage would be more of a nuisance and more likely brushed off as normal forgetfulness or typical aging or again aami or age-associated memory impairment this person could still carry unemployment and interact socially with no problem in stage two a person may lose items and become less organized we are highly functioning at level two at this stage we are not diagnosed yet or the doctor May determine that the patient suffers from aami age-associated memory impairment at this point of the disease process it would be impossible to make a diagnosis of dementia due to the lack of symptoms but don't worry they're on their way stage three mild cognitive decline also referred to as MCI or mild cognitive impairment as we move into stage three we are now seeing and recognizing a deficiency in memory this person if they are still working May function normally however co-workers or family and friends will begin noticing changes or seeing a decline in work performance if an evaluation is performed by the doctor this is when changes can be recognized or a baseline is determined for future testing this subject may get lost in unfamiliar places or while driving person in stage three will not retain much of what is read and will begin having trouble with words this person may begin to withdraw from social interactions out of fear of being called out and they may be in denial of changes happening in the brain the patient may experience mild to moderate anxiety and can you blame them this is scary stuff noticing that something is not right in your head terrifying denial anxiety and fear is just awful stage four early dementia or moderate cognitive decline at this point it's pretty clear that the person has some form of dementia the person will now find it difficult to perform more complicated tasks like planning a vacation navigating airports balancing a checkbook or handling their finances at stage four denial is a common occurrence this person may withdraw from more challenging situations or social activities that require more cognitive effort or bandwidth at this level the patient will have impaired knowledge of current events they may not be able to recall details of their own personal medical history time and place will become an issue for them their personality may become more toned down or flat familiar people may not be recognized at stage five this person will be requiring some assistance to survive this is when they will not be able to retrieve information like their address phone number names of grandchildren they may not know the day of the week the month the year or the season they usually recognize their own name and mostly know their children and spouses names they are still independent in toileting and can feed themselves however they may need assistance with choosing the appropriate attire for the season the next stage is stage six moderately severe cognitive decline at this time the person with dementia May occasionally not remember a spouse's name and they will be able to distinguish a familiar person from a stranger even if they don't know that person's name at stage six they may start having toileting issues like incontinence they will still respond to their own name this is the stage when the person with dementia will have personality changes and have trouble regulating their emotions they may begin having delusions and become suspicious of others at stage six the person with dementia May begin to have obsessive repetitive symptoms they may get overly agitated resulting in violence and other outbursts so sad they will have lost their willpower due to being unable to carry a thought long enough to determine a purposeful course of action or outcome the last and final stage stage seven severe dementia very severe cognitive decline during the course of this final stage communication will cease and the person will not be able to express wishes or desires they will still understand a kind presence and can sometimes tap or hum to music at this last stage of the disease the person will be completely dependent on others for survival they will not be able to feed themselves and they can no longer walk the final end of stage seven results in the brain no longer signaling the lungs to breathe and the heart to be resulting in death so there's the summary of The Seven stage model of dementia and remember that these stages are not cut and dry people with Alzheimer's or other dementias can fluctuate or be in more than one stage at a time nothing about dementia is easy so be kind to yourself and those you take care of lower those expectations and know that I will always be here for you FYI we are now uploading a new video every Tuesday and every Friday let me know what questions you have together we can see you next time I'm Deborah costume reduce your stress and build your confidence by watching more of my videos there's even more content and videos on my website at answers about alz.org [Music]

Channel: Answers About Alzheimer's

Views: 445,650

Keywords: What Are the Stages of Dementia?, 7 stages of dementia, stages of dementia, alzheimer's caregiver training, dementia caregiver training, alsheimerz, dimentia caregivers, alzheimer's disease, alsheimerz caregiver training

Id: 0PBmnVb1Z9Y

Length: 12min 31sec (751 seconds)

Published: Fri Dec 02 2022