EP64: What are the Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease? Symptoms of Late-to-End-Stage Alzheimer’s Disease

<p>I’ve taken care of thousands of older adults living with Alzheimer’s disease and ultimately dying either with or from this devastating disease. I hope the information in this podcast will help you to be prepared as your loved one moves through each stage of the disease.<br /> <br /> There is some variation in what different people think are the Stages of Dementia. I am of the mindset (pun totally intended) to keep things simple – so I think of this disease in 4 stages: Early-, Middle-, Late- and End-Stage; or Mild, Moderate, Severe and ultimately the dying process.<br /> <br /> <strong>Late-stage Alzheimer’s – or Severe</strong><br /> <br /> At this stage, the person is going to have severe symptoms and rely on others for all care. They lose the ability to carry on a conversation, respond to their environment, and eventually lose the ability to control movement.<br /> <br /> Common symptoms or difficulties in this stage include:<br /> <br /> ✔️ Difficulty communicating with words; which leaves their behavior to tell us what they might need.<br /> ✔️ Requiring around-the-clock assistance<br /> ✔️ Lose the ability to walk, sit and eventually they will have a hard time swallowing. In fact, nearly 80% of people in late-stage dementia will develop some form of an eating problem.<br /> ✔️ And because of the swallowing problems, they are at a higher risk for aspiration or bladder infections<br /> <br /> In the late-stage of this disease, the person will likely have trouble initiating engagement with you or their loved ones, but they still benefit from interacting in ways like listening to music together, singing, or receiving assurance through gentle touch. This is the time for caregivers to explore community services and supports like palliative and/or hospice care.<br /> <br /> If/when the time comes and your loved one is having trouble swallowing, I recommend working with a Speech Therapist to determine the best type of diet. This may range from mechanical soft foods to pureed and some level of thickened liquids t