3 Groups Of Signs Someone May Require Alzheimer's Care
The possibility that you or someone you love may require Alzheimer's care may leave you worried. It's important to note that with intervention, folks in all but the most serious cases may be able to maintain normal lives. Early detection is important, though, and here are three groups of signs someone may need Alzheimer's care broken down by the early, intermediate, and late stages of the process.
Early
First, if possible, you want to try to detect Alzheimer's disease early. There are treatments available such as memory care that may serve to slow the progression of the disease and mitigate some of its risks. These may include pharmaceutical treatments, exercise, dietary changes, mental activities, and social interactions.
A big early sign of the possible onset of Alzheimer's disease is trouble remembering recent happenings. While it's understandable that folks forget stuff from time to time, it shouldn't be a constant problem. Similar issues can occur with forgetting specific words and the names of people who are close to them. Eventually, writing and problem-solving skills may degrade, too.
Intermediate
The intermediate phase of Alzheimer's progression is marked by a breakdown in basic daily skills. Simple tasks like getting dressed become a challenge or the person may even skip them by continuing to wear what they wore the previous day. Wandering and getting lost become more common behaviors. It also becomes harder for the person to self-start organizational tasks, such as putting away dishes and groceries or doing laundry.
As the intermediate phase progresses, physiological changes also happen. They may struggle to get to sleep or stay asleep. Some folks will display urinary or fecal incontinence that wasn't present before from some other condition.
Eventually, overt personality changes can occur. Some of these can be shocking, such as sexist and racist comments from someone who never said a mean word to anyone.
Late
In the late stages, functional tasks become difficult. Sitting up, for example, may be a challenge. Likewise, the individual may struggle to remember to eat, or they might have trouble chewing and swallowing their food. Their general awareness of the surrounding environment may also degrade, and they may struggle to recognize close family members and lifelong friends.
Unsurprisingly, the impulse to engage in everyday conversation often disappears in this period. To be clear, this is more than someone being stoic, distant, or laconic. Even simple, practical conversations about things like what they'd like for dinner become challenging for others to initiate and conduct with them.
For more information, reach out to an Alzheimer's care center.