The affected

Alzheimer's disease goes through different stages, which are characterized by a progressive worsening of the signs. It can be divided in three periods:


During the first stage the pacient starts to show a light memory loss. He has difficulties remembering recent events, facts or conversations, as well as learning new things. These symptoms are usually attributed to stress or aging.

The affected starts also to feel disoriented, causing him to stop recognizing the place where he is. Due to this sign, people with Alzheimer's use to forget their way back home or other places in which they have already been. It is for this reason that they get lost very often.

Other common signs are tiredness, concentration loss, mood changes and apathy.

Initial dementia

In the second stage memory starts to fail gradually. There appear more serious signs, such as aphasia -loss of ability to speak-, apraxia -loss of ability to do functions already learnt- and agnosia -loss of ability to recognise people and objects-.

Although the patient starts to be more and more dependent on their caregivers, it is important to mantain his independence during the two first stages of the disease.

Advanced dementia

Intellectual abilities are deeply affected in this stage and brain signs get worse. The muscles of the patient get stiff, who often experiences shiverings and epileptic chrisis. Alzheimer's affected gradually become apathic and loose his authomatic capacities.

Like this page? Recommend this site to your social networks