Patient’s families are often concerned about the stage of Alzheimer’s disease of their loved one. They often ask for my opinion on what stage the disease is at. The literature talks a lot about the different stages and thus it is important to the families. As a clinician in the trenches, my concern is based more on the behavioral, physical and mental function of the senior than the stage of the disease.
There are many under lying causes of dementia. Alzheimers is the most common cause. The Alzheimer’s Association has defined 7 unique stages of the disease. If the cause of dementia is vascular, there are only 3 stages: early, mid and late stage. This is what makes it so confusing. Often, the cause of dementia is a combination of both, meaning that they may have dementia from Alzheimers as well as vascular. In that case, neither of these staging strategies are effective.
Dementia is staged or classified based on clinical research, but the actual experience is unique to each person. The stages are only guidelines and the care that the senior requires will be based on how the disease manifests itself. This variability is often due to where in the brain the disease is and the scope of brain dysfunction in that area.
As a professional who cares for many seniors with dementia, the plan of care and interventions must be individualized. The plan of care is devised based on the presentation symptoms of the person with dementia. No disease follows a specific pattern for all individuals. The person with dementia may demonstrate signs and symptoms of multiple stages at the same time. The subsequent interventions are based on experience of working with people with the symptoms as well as whom the individual was prior to their dementia.
We are all individuals throughout our life span. No one can anticipate how we will each react and respond to life’s stressors and challenges. The onset of dementia is not any different.
If you are caring for someone with dementia, it is better to focus on their behavior and mental abilities more than what stage of the disease they are experiencing. If you need personalized advice for your specific situation, please contact me.