Alzheimer’s is a progressively worsening, and irreversible degenerative brain disorder that causes a slow decline in cognitive abilities, and memory of patients, to the point where it may interfere with their daily lives. Eventually, individuals suffering from severe dementia are unable to carry out even the simplest tasks. Alzheimer’s falls under the category of Dementia, which is a broad term used to classify conditions that cause a decline in thinking, behaviour and memory.

Alzheimer’s is typically known as an old person's disease, and usually affects individuals above the age of 65. However, there have been cases of people being affected by Alzheimer’s in their 40s and50s as well. This type of Alzheimer’s is referred to as early-onset Alzheimer's disease.

Signs and Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease

Signs and Symptoms of Alzheimer’s include but are not limited to the following:

• Memory loss that could affect daily life. Especially loss of recently acquired information such as appointments and names
• The trouble with problem-solving and planning
• Difficulty in familiar tasks such as recording TV shows
• Disorientation with places or time
• Impaired judgment
• Difficulty in understanding spatial relationships and visual images
• Difficulty in writing or speech
• The trouble with maintaining personal hygiene
• Changes in personality and mood
• Gradual withdrawal from the community, friends and family
• Inability to retrace steps and frequently misplacing things

Progression of Alzheimer’s

As mentioned earlier, Alzheimer’s is a progressive disorder. This means that the symptoms of Alzheimer’s are usually known to worsen over time. Therefore, the progression of the disease has been divided into 7 stages:

Stage1: This stage is generally asymptomatic. However, an early diagnosis could be made based on genetic and familial history

Stage2: This stage is where the first signs of Alzheimer’s, such as forgetfulness begin to appear

Stage3: In stage 3, the mental and physical symptoms slowly progress to a mild stage. These include trouble in concentration and impaired memory. Changes are still subtle and can usually only be noticed by a close person such as family members.

Stage4: This is the stage where patients most often receive a formal diagnosis of Alzheimer’s as their memory loss is evident and symptoms start to affect the patient’s daily life.

Stage5: Symptoms increase in severity and the patient may need increased assistance from caregivers.

Stage6: By this stage symptoms progress to a point where the patient may need help performing everyday tasks such as putting clothes on and eating.

Stage7: This is the final and most severe stage of Alzheimer’s where patients may experience speech loss along with loss of facial expression.

With severe Alzheimer’s caregivers may have to assist with even the most basic tasks. Besides this, with increasing loss of cognitive abilities, patients may experience depression, paranoia and anxiety as well. Caregivers must deal with Patients of Alzheimer’s in the gentlest manner possible and avoid confrontation so as not to worsen their symptoms.

Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease

There is currently no cure for Alzheimer’s disease. However, your doctor may prescribe medication to slow down the progression of the disease and improve symptoms. Other than treating signs of decreasing cognitive function, your doctor may prescribe medication to treat symptoms of aggression, depression, hallucinations, restlessness, and agitation.

Some lifestyle modifications may be suggested by your doctor o delay disease progression as much as possible. These include: 

• quitting smoking
• maintaining a generally healthy lifestyle
• getting enough rest
• remaining calm
• eating healthy

Besides this, your doctor may also help patients and their caregivers to come up with strategies to manage their disease such as:

• How to focus on tasks
• How to avoid confrontation
• How to limit confusion

Conclusion

As Alzheimer’s disease progresses, patients start to rely increasingly on their caregivers. However, providing care to a with a patient suffering from Alzheimer’s may be a difficult task because of all the confusion, paranoia, aggression and agitation they feel. Caregivers must try to keep the patient as calm as possible and provide due assistance wherever it is needed.

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