What is Alzheimer's ?

Stages of the disease

Alzheimer's disease gets worse over time. Generally speaking, the longer one has had the disease, the more severe it is. The early stage is also known as mild Alzheimer's, the middle stage is called moderate, and the late stage is referred to as severe.

The stages of Alzheimer's are meant as general guides, since each person with Alzheimer's is unique, and symptoms vary greatly. For example, people with Alzheimer's live an average of eight years after their symptoms become noticeable to other people, but survival can range from three to 20 years, depending on age and other health conditions.

Early stage (mild)

In this stage, people are usually aware of the diagnosis, and may even be able to participate in decisions affecting future care. Since the person is usually experiencing only mild impairment of memory and other mental abilities, they may be frustrated by the changes taking place, and may become depressed or anxious. It is important to monitor the emotional well-being of the person.

Middle stage (moderate)

As a person progresses through the middle stage of Alzheimer's, they experience a further deterioration in both mental and physical abilities. This may lead to no longer recognizing family and friends and requiring assistance in many daily tasks, including dressing, bathing, using the toilet, and so on.

In this stage, some people become restless and pace or wander. Registering the person with the Alzheimer Society's Safely Home^TM -- Alzheimer Wandering Registry program will help give you peace of mind should your loved one become lost.

Late stage (severe)

In the late stage of Alzheimer's, a person will lose the ability to remember, communicate or look after himself, and need 24-hour-a-day care. The person will eventually become bed-ridden, have difficulty eating or swallowing, and lose control of bodily functions. This stage eventually ends with the person's death, often from secondary complications such as pneumonia.

For more about the stages of Alzheimer's Disease, including examples of symptoms for each stage, see the informative chart provided on The Alzheimer Society of Canada website.

Examples of symptoms for each stage

Symptom type	Early Stage	Middle Stage	Late Stage
Mental Abilities	mild forgetfulness difficulty learning new things and following conversations difficulty concentrating or limited attention span problems with orientation, such as getting lost or not following directions communication difficulties such as finding the right word	continued memory problems forgetfulness about personal history inability to recognize friends and family disorientation about time and place	loss of ability to remember, communicate or function inability to process information severe speaking difficulties severe disorientation about time, place and people
Moods and Emotions	mood shifts depression	personality change confusion anxiety/apprehension suspiciousness mood shifts anger sadness/depression hostility	possible withdrawal
Behaviours	passiveness withdrawal from usual activities restlessness	declining ability to concentrate restlessness (pacing, wandering) repetition delusions aggression uninhibited behaviour passiveness	non-verbal methods of communicating (eye contact, crying, groaning)
Physical Abilities	mild co-ordination problems	assistance required for daily tasks (e.g., dressing, bathing, using the toilet) disrupted sleep patterns appetite fluctuations language difficulties visual spatial problems	sleeps longer and more often becomes immobile (bed-ridden) loses ability to speak loses control of bladder and bowels has difficulty eating and/or swallowing unable to dress or bathe may lose weight