Middle-stage Alzheimer's is typically the longest stage and can last for many years. As the disease progresses, the person with Alzheimer's will require a greater level of care.
However, end-stage dementia may last from one to three years. As the disease advances, your loved one's abilities become severely limited and their needs increase. Typically, they: have trouble eating and swallowing.
Stage 7: Late-Stage Dementia
Stage 7, very severe cognitive decline lasts an average of 2.5 years. A person in this stage usually has no ability to speak or communicate and requires assistance with most activities, including walking.
In the middle stage of dementia, symptoms become more noticeable and the person will need more support in managing daily life. This stage of dementia is often the longest. On average it lasts about two to four years.
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a condition in which people have more memory or thinking problems than other people their age. The symptoms of MCI are not as severe as those of Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia. People with MCI can usually take care of themselves and carry out their normal daily activities.
One of the most common causes of death for people with dementia is pneumonia caused by an infection. A person in the later stages of dementia may have symptoms that suggest that they are close to death, but can sometimes live with these symptoms for many months.
Average duration is 2 years. Moderate Dementia – More profound memory loss, only retaining highly learned material. Average duration is just under 2 years to 4 years. Severe Dementia – Severe memory loss.
During the middle stages, people may experience depression, anxiety, irritability and repetitive behaviors. As the disease progresses, other changes may occur, including sleep changes, physical and verbal outbursts, and wandering.
Sleeping more and more is a common feature of later-stage dementia. As the disease progresses, the damage to a person's brain becomes more extensive and they gradually become weaker and frailer over time.
People with the moderate dementia stage of Alzheimer's disease may: Show increasingly poor judgment and deepening confusion. Individuals lose track of where they are, the day of the week or the season.
It's important to know that late-stage dementia is a terminal illness and can lead to death. In these cases, the death certificate may list dementia as the cause of death.
Many people with dementia lose weight in the later stages. This may be because of a loss of appetite, pain or difficulties with swallowing (dysphagia) and chewing.
There are many different types of dementia and all of them are progressive. This means symptoms may be relatively mild at first but they get worse with time, usually over several years. These include problems with memory, thinking, problem-solving or language, and often changes in emotions, perception or behaviour.
Signs of the final stages of dementia include some of the following: Being unable to move around on one's own. Being unable to speak or make oneself understood. Eating problems such as difficulty swallowing.
Symptoms generally progress steadily. However, a person may experience a sudden worsening of dementia symptoms. This can be part of the disease progressing or a sign of a serious medical problem. A sudden change in thinking or behavior can be the result of delirium, stroke, or other health conditions.
increasing confusion or poor judgment. greater memory loss, including a loss of events in the more distant past. needing assistance with tasks, such as getting dressed, bathing, and grooming. significant personality and behavior changes, often caused by agitation and unfounded suspicion.
Verbal aggression/threats (54%) and physical aggression/agitation (42%) constitute the 2 most frequent behavioral disturbances reported in patients with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders.
Memory loss that disrupts daily life
One of the most common signs of Alzheimer's disease, especially in the early stage, is forgetting recently learned information.
According to the Alzheimer's Research and Prevention Foundation, regular physical exercise can reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease by up to 50 percent. What's more, exercise can also slow further deterioration in those who have already started to develop cognitive problems.
People with dementia think about the same things that any human thinks about — emotions, relationships, daily life, tasks to accomplish, and more. Receiving a life-changing diagnosis of dementia does not strip a person of their humanity and personhood.
Home care is often recommended by experts through end of life. However, every family and situation is different, so permanent home care may not always be possible. Research shows keeping a loved one with dementia at home helps them be happier and live longer; however, it is most impactful when introduced early.
Often when a person with dementia asks to go home it refers to the sense of home rather than home itself. 'Home' may represent memories of a time or place that was comfortable and secure and where they felt relaxed and happier. It could also be an indefinable place that may not physically exist.
The brain controls our ability to co-ordinate swallowing and breathing. In end-stage dementia, this skill is lost. Your loved one may become dehydrated, or they may inhale food or fluids which can lead to choking and chest infections called aspiration pneumonias. These can be life-threatening.
Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, frontotemporal disorders, and Lewy body and vascular dementia all cause a gradual loss of thinking abilities. They damage brain and nerve cells and can lead to pneumonia, stroke, falls, infections, and malnutrition that are often fatal.