Stage 7?

[Mrs W]

Hi all, Whilst I’ve read up on what stage 7 is usually like, I’d be interested in hearing people’s personal experiences of how it was for them. I think my mother in law is moving into stage 7 but some of the behaviours listed she still doesn’t exhibit, so was wondering if that was typical or what the experiences of others was.

Thanks!!

 

[garfield3]

Hi all, Whilst I’ve read up on what stage 7 is usually like, I’d be interested in hearing people’s personal experiences of how it was for them. I think my mother in law is moving into stage 7 but some of the behaviours listed she still doesn’t exhibit, so was wondering if that was typical or what the experiences of others was.

Thanks!!

Hi,

Mum is still here and 94 in November . She is incontinent, immobile, talks rubbish ,speech is reducing too, eats not much,sleeps a lot in the daytime and at night . She now has sores stage 1. Needs help with eating and on forsip from the dr. She has been like this for 3-4 yrs and slowly getting worse. I believe she is at stage 7. The Fisher Instit? ? Is good the description of each stage is good and broken down into subsections.

Also, obviously, no recognition or memory of things.

Hope this helps.

 

[Moggymad]

Hi @Mrs W I also think my mum has recently reached stage 7. She has been doubly incontinent now for some time & her speech has declined to not even a sentence & words are jumbled although she can still sing some words to songs. All memory has gone & she lives in the moment.The most recent changes are having to be hoisted & fed soft or puréed food. She is also having difficulty staying propped up as she slumps down in her chair or wriggles about & slips off. So far her personality hasn't changed too much & we feel very lucky that mum, apart from when having pain, remains loving with a sense of humour that hasn't deserted her yet.

 

[RedLou]

I think every one's experience will be different. My father was doubly incontinent and bedridden but still had speech that was reasonably coherent. Because of this, I anticipated years more of the terrible dementia journey, but in fact, once his appetite started going and he was on Forsip, he developed aspiration pneumonia, and he died during the third such bout, before he had reached 'all' the stage seven markers.

 

[Timeout]

My mum has had Alzheimer's for around 13 years but looking back showed signs a few years before this.

She's been immobile for over 3 years now, hoisted from bed to chair normally but since being poorly in April has been nursed on bed since.

She doesn't appear to be able to move herself at all, maybe just her hands. She cannot speak apart from 'yes' or 'no' but these aren't said in context. She babbles and shouts mostly. She's been doubly incontinent for 5 years and is now Catheterised as her last bout of illness (probably another infection) made her retain urine. She has a Butrans patch 5mg which keeps her comfortable and calm. She has problems with skin breakdown on her lower legs especially and they are dressed when necessary. She's often bandaged to the knees.

She eats a puréed diet quite well and drinks unthickened drinks as her swallow is fine. She tends to gulp loudly when drinking so I'm not sure if that's something that's starting there, delayed swallow maybe.

She's pretty much content, lays in bed starting into space or sleeping most of the time but will smile when spoken to or if you make funny noises or faces etc.

I would say she's about a stage 7c, there was talk by the GP when poorly over the summer that he may have cancer but in all honesty I don't really think that's the case.

I've read somewhere that patients spend around 40% of the duration of the illness in this very final stage - for us that means she may have e a few more years left sadly. Wishing you strength.

 

[AliceA]

Hi all, Whilst I’ve read up on what stage 7 is usually like, I’d be interested in hearing people’s personal experiences of how it was for them. I think my mother in law is moving into stage 7 but some of the behaviours listed she still doesn’t exhibit, so was wondering if that was typical or what the experiences of others was.

Thanks!!

Have you looked at the Teepa Snow Gems? A different approach to what many call stages. Sometimes people can drift between Gems.