Stages of dementia

[sheilarees53]

Hello everyone,

Can someone tell me what the 'stages' are in dementia or point me in the right direction to find out. I keep reading that people are at 'stage 4' or 'stage 7' but don't seem able to find out what this actually means.

My mum is at an advanced 'stage' according to the NH but as she has reached this level in just over a year I am wondering how much worse she is going to get.

I struggle to understand how a disease can change a person so much in such a short period of time. I feel like I am in mourning for someone who is still alive. My friend, my darling mum as I knew her is gone and I am left with someone who looks like mum but is a frail shell of the person she once was.

Take care everyone, love Sheila.

 

[Brucie]

have a look at http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/talkingpoint/discuss/showthread.php?p=47021#post47021.. there are some web pages mentioned there that explain and I posted a pdf file in my first post there that describes the stages

 

[Amanda1954]

Sheila

I'm grateful to you for asking this question as I too was having difficulty in understanding it all. So thanks to Bruce for pointing us in the right direction. I've just printed out the pdf file and will put it aside for my bedtime reading.

I'm so sorry to hear that your mum has declined so quickly. The more I read of this disease the more I realise how cruel it can be.

With very best wishes, take care
Amanda

 

[Brucie]

... just a caveat....

As far as I know there are no absolute stages that match everybody's experience. The stages that are talked about are indicative but not absolute.

But all-in-all, the description of the stages provides a useful benchmark, I think.

If nothing else it makes us realise that someone has been here before us trying to map things out, and that we are not the only ones to experience the challenges we face.