Stages

canary

Registered User
Feb 25, 2014
24,920
0
South coast
Hello @Fairlight and welcome to DTP

There are actually several descriptions of stages - there is the 3 stage, the 5 stage and the 7 stage models.
In all of these models stage 1 is the earliest one and is usually considered to be so early that the diagnosis of Alzheimers cannot actually be made - it is only in retrospect that you know it must have been there. Some types of dementia (particularly vascular dementia) dont progress in an orderly fashion, but get some symptoms here and some symptoms there. It is also impossible to predict how long each stage will last as different people progress at different speeds.

I am slightly confused about what it is you actually want to know. Usually it is best to just ignore the stages and deal with the symptoms as they occur
 

Philbo

Registered User
Feb 28, 2017
853
0
Kent
how many stages are there?
What is average length of stage one?

For me, this is the cruellest thing dealing with dementia. Although the stages can roughly be identified, no two people will follow the same exact path in their "journey". This, together with the unpredictable time span of the progression of the disease, make it so hard to deal with?

I remember back in January 2014, when my wife was told she had FTD, I asked the consultant how long the "journey" would likely be? She said it was unpredictable but probably around 2 to 2.5 years.

So here we are still tottering along, doing the best we can.

Phil
 

marionq

Registered User
Apr 24, 2013
6,449
0
Scotland
I followed the seven stages and found it helpful as I like to be organised. Dementia paid me no attention and goes back and forth disconcerting me. There are a number of aspects to my husband now which are easier at stage 6 e approx than when he was stage 4. Physically he’s worse yet that prevents his wandering so that’s better!

I like men but have never been attracted to anyone except my husband and it is really odd that though he knows me and only me he can remember almost nothing about our past. My whole adult life has been spent with him.

I read that the average life span after diagnosis is 8 years and oddly enough I have met a number of people for whom this has been true. The irritating thing about averages is that I’ve met people who fell short of that and those who went much much longer. Damned statistics!
 

Lawson58

Registered User
Aug 1, 2014
4,302
0
Victoria, Australia
Perhaps the stages might be helpful if the person with dementia in general does the usual things that others with a similar diagnosis do. However, there are lots who don't closely fit into any of those stages, lots who have a diagnosis of mixed dementia and those that a definite diagnosis is still up in the air.

Please let us know what it is that you want to know. A little more detail would be helpful.
 

Vicky3116

New member
Aug 3, 2019
8
0
Everyone is different and will go through different stages at different times. I often ask myself how long will it be before this or that but truth is no one knows. We often use the stages early onset - moderate - severe at work but the symptoms can be different for each person and can last different lengths of time. No one will be able to tell you how long each stage will last unfortunately.
 

Canadian Joanne

Registered User
Apr 8, 2005
17,710
0
70
Toronto, Canada
The stages are good for a rough guideline but as @Vicky3116 says everyone is different. My mother was able to tell time for years longer than is considered the average. My mother was diagnosed to be at Stage 4 and lived another 15 1/2 years after diagnosis. I think that had a lot to do with the fact that she had just turned 64 when she was diagnosed.
 

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