Medical professionals have developed a set of stages to describe the progression and symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. After you assess the needs of the Alzheimer’s patient and explore the care choices, then you can decide on the best option for care.
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Alzheimer's Disease Stages
Alzheimer’s Disease and its progression are described by doctors and medical researchers through stages, and symptoms that can occur in each stage. Alzheimer patients are categorized by their level of cognitive and functional impairment – mild, moderate, severe, and profound. This outline describes the stages and possible symptoms:
Mild
Forgetfulness
Difficulty with complex math problems, such as balancing the checkbook, doing taxes
Inability to plan and execute a complex series of actions, such as that required to prepare a three-course meal
Inability to stick to a complex schedule, such as that required by certain prescriptions, 2 tablets 3 times a day
Confusion or disorientation about time, date or place, wandering toward a specific goal, such as a friend’s house that, results in getting lost
Moderate
More pronounced memory problems that may interfere with normal daily activities
Difficulty with simple food preparation, such as brewing a cup of tea or coffee
Inability to perform routine household chores and yard work
Decline in personal hygiene, possibly requiring reminders or assistance to use the bathroom, shave, fasten clothing correctly, and choose appropriate clothing
Increased wandering behavior that’s not goal-directed, getting lost
Agitation, pacing, increased irritability more likely
Confusion that often becomes worse in evening
The following symptoms can occur in both the moderate and severe stages, and may become more noticeable as the patient enters the severe stage.
Increased irritability and agitation, verbal and physical aggression
Symptoms of psychosis, including delusions, paranoia, and hallucinations
Severe
Need for extensive assistance with personal care, including eating, hygiene, grooming and toileting
Increased irritability and agitation, verbal and physical aggression
Symptoms of psychosis, including delusions, paranoia, and hallucinations
Unsteadiness and reduced ability to walk
Incontinence
Disorientation
Profound
Complete lack of awareness of surroundings
Total dependence on caregivers for feeding, hygiene, and everything else
When AD patients reach what’s known as the terminal stage of the disease, they may become bedridden and will certainly require around-the-clock care. At this stage, many Alzheimer’s patients succumb to opportunistic infections, such as pneumonia.
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Deciding on Care for Alzheimer’s Patients
Choosing care for an Alzheimer’s patient involves many factors: the needs of the patient, money restrictions, desire to keep the patient in his or her own home, and availability of family and friends to help. Some options when looking into care for an Alzheimer’s patient are
| Care Choice | Care Provider | Location | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-home care | You or another family member | Your home or your loved one’s home | No out of pocket cost other than medical bills, but you may have to give up your job to provide care |
| In-home care | Home health aide | Your home or your loved one’s home | U.S. Department of Labor reports average is $8.17 per hour. Agency referred $12 to $25 per hour |
| In-home care | Visiting nurse | Your home or your loved one’s home | $25 to $50 per hour |
| Adult day care | On site staff and volunteers | Day Care Center or Senior Center | $35 per day and up; may include transportation; services such as bathing cost extra |
| Day health care | On site staff and volunteers | Day Care Center or Senior Center | $50 per day and up |
| Respite Care | On site staff and volunteers | Day Care Center or Senior Center | $8 to $30 per hour |
| Assisted living | On site staff and volunteers, family members | Assisted Living Center | $18,000 a year and up, most affordable overall |
| Licensed residential care home | On-site non-medical staff, | Residential Care Center | $850 to $4,000 per month, depending upon location |
| Dedicated Alzheimer care center | On-site medical and non-medical staff, visiting medical staff | Alzheimer Care Center | $115 per day and up |
| Nursing home | On-site medical and non-medical staff, visiting medical staff | Nursing Home | $36,000 to $100,000 annually, depending upon location |
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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/alzheimers-for-dummies-cheat-sheet.html
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