
Alzheimer’s is a disease associated with slow and steady decline of the memory and mental abilities due to damage in the brain. Unfortunately, this condition is irreversible which means that it cannot be treated and the symptoms keep on increasing and worsening with the passage of time. The patient will go through a range of symptoms over a period of time and while the timing and severity of these symptoms might differ, there is no way that these symptoms could be avoided or prevented once the patient is diagnosed with the disease. The patients will experience the certain symptoms once the disease begins to progress.
To make the diagnosis and care for disease easy for doctors and caregivers, Alzheimer’s has been grouped into three different stags according to the symptoms the patients experience during the phases. These stages are mild or early, moderate or middle and severe or late. The patient can experience any number of symptoms that mark each stage. If a symptom has been diagnosed in a patient, it will continue to increase with time but it has also been observed that sometimes symptoms also disappear in later stages of the disease.
Another significant thing to know about stages of Alzheimer’s is that the moderate stage tends to be the longest and the patient might remain in the moderate stage for years before his or her condition begins to deteriorate. During the moderate stage, the patient will experience all the symptoms that were present in the mild stage but these symptoms will become severe and the patient will be facing more mental and physical decline.
Taking care of Alzheimer’s patient during moderate stage
As this is the longest stage of this disease, it can last for years and this increases the patient’s need for care along with proper management of medication and daily routine. As the disease continues, the patient’s symptoms will become more pronounced, confusion will increase, frustration and angry behavior or outbursts will increase and the patient will begin to act in different ways that might become difficult to handle such as refusing to bath, eat or change.
Due to the damage in nerve cells of the brain, the patient will find it very difficult to express thoughts and carry out routine tasks that increase the caregiver’s responsibilities. It is necessary for the caregiver to learn how to care for such a patient as it needs a lot of handwork, patience and support to look after and care for such a patient who does not know what is happening, why such mental or emotional changes are taking place and why are he or she is no longer able to remember or do things on their own.
- The patient will become more forgetful and feel confused and lost
- The patient will be disoriented and lose track of day and time
- The patient will have to be reminded to eat, bathe, groom and use the bathroom; some patients might have problems in controlling their bladder and bowels too
- The patients might experience hallucinations and delusions that can lead to aggression or paranoia
- The patient might have difficult speaking and forget words
- There will be sleep disturbances
- There will be mood swings including depression, anxiety, anger, confusion and frustration
- There will be repetitive behavior and with passage of time it will increase and often become hard to control
Caregivers also need to understand that even during the middle stage of the disease; the patient can participate in daily activities with assistance and proper routine setup. With help of doctors, it can be determined what the patient can do and find ways to simplify the tasks to make it easy for them to be a part of their life and control what they can do. However, this will not be easy at all and the caregiver will also need support to deal with things and offer the best care and loving environment to the patient.
Dealing with moderate Alzheimer’s Washington Crossing is not very easy and the caregiver must have a clear idea of what to expect during this stage to be prepared to handle things the best way. It is necessary that the caregiver remains composed and uses a calm voice when responding to repetitive questions, confusion, anger or anxiety to help the patients remain calm and assure them that they are in safe hands. It is important that patients get an emotional response from the caregiver so that they can be soothed and feel loved. The caregiver should learn as much as they can about Alzheimer’s Treatment Yardley so that they can work along with the medical experts to help patients and provide the best care and quality life that they deserve.