Alzheimer’s Disease Stages – Mild, Moderate & Severe

The neurological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s Disease, neurofibrillary plaques and tangles, develop in the brain long before symptoms are apparent. Often times, people delay seeing a doctor and the possibility of hearing that the diagnosis could be Alzheimer’s Disease. When an evaluation is delayed, symptoms may be more progressed at the time of diagnosis, limiting treatment and intervention options. 

The stages of Alzheimer’s Disease may be conceptualized in three general categories:

1. Mild Alzheimer’s Disease: during this stage, mild changes in memory loss and thinking occur. This oftentimes is confused with the natural progression of aging. Another symptom that may be apparent in this stage is the inability to judge time. This includes knowing how much time is needed to complete a task, knowing how long it takes to get from one place to another, etc. Some individuals tend to get lost or misplace things, have a change in personality, difficulty with problem solving, and/or difficulty expressing and organizing their thoughts.
2. Moderate Alzheimer’s Disease: during this stage, memory loss gradually worsens and the affected person starts to need help with basic daily activities including: grooming, using the restroom, etc. More behavior and personality changes are present.  Family and friends start to explicitly see the effects of Alzheimer’s because the individual may confuse family members and friends with strangers they have never met. It can be unsafe to leave an individual suffering from moderate Alzheimer’s Disease on their own without any close care.
3. Severe Alzheimer’s Disease: during this stage, the individual living with Alzheimer’s Disease is completely dependent on their caregiver. People lose their verbal language ability, which sometimes leads to complete loss of speech. Muscle mass starts to deteriorate and some even lose the ability to feed themselves. In the most severe cases of Alzheimer’s Disease, this terminal illness leads to death.

On average, people with Alzheimer’s Disease can live anywhere from 8-10 years from the time of diagnosis, and some may live up to 25 years. If you or a loved one are experiencing symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease, please schedule an evaluation.

For information on clinical research for memory loss and Alzheimer’s Disease, please visit http://www.thecrcnj.com/CurrentStudies.html.