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Mine fits all that I read about.

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I agree with Jeannegibbs and helpinghand333!! My experience is with Alzheimer's Disease. My father passed in 2003 from Alzheimer's, paternal grandfather passed in 1975. On mom's side 3 of her siblings as well as mom have developed Alzheimer's.Mom is mentally incapacitated and her sister who is 9 years older is still living as a result of a feeding tube (her children;s choice not mine or my mother's). From everything I have researched, a neurologist can diagnose Alzheimer's 90% of the time by ruling out the other causes of dementia.My mother recognizes me as a family member, she will reintroduce me to other's in the memory care unit but sometimes she introduces me as my sister, some times I am me. Other times when I talk with mom alone, she thinks I am her sister.I place my mother between stage 5-6 because she can dress herself, she is not incontinent, she can feed herself and bathe herself with assistance. My mother is living in assisted living but participates in the memory care program daily. I have made arrangements for them to bring my mother back to her apartment between 1-3:30 so mom can have additional time with her dog (her dog lives with her in AL) and break up her day. The memory care program runs from 8:30-6pm daily.Because of family history with dementia/Alz, I know my mom will eventually forget how to walk, talk and swallow. and become bedridden. Moom has an advance directive and does no want extra measures taken to prolong her life which includes feeding tubes, only comfort care when she can no longer swallow, ect., and family members are on board with this as well. I hope this helps you to understand what stage and what is to come in your mother's care. Hugs to you!!
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One thing that is not emphasized enough is that Alzheimer's disease is a terminal illness. Also, very important, but not commonly spoken about in the literature, is that the brain controls all body function, so when the brain is failing, its not just memory that becomes impaired, because the brain will begin to fail to send signals to particular organs to work, and it will fail to send signals to different body parts and muscles to work, including swallowing, the bladder, the heart, and appendages, even if just for a momentary lapse, which eventually progresses to ongoing occurrences, permanence, complete debility, and finally death. May God Bless ALL of the caregivers and patients of Dementia/Alzheimer's Disease.
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I knew when my husband developed new symptoms or his symptoms got worse over the ten years he had Dementia with Lewy Bodies. But I could never place him in one of the 7 stages. Those stage descriptions were developed to fit Alzheimer's Disease, and do not necessarily fit any other type of dementia.

If your loved one does not seem to be progressing through the 7 stages, it may be that he/she has some other type of dementia.

As caregivers we take one day at a time, and deal with whatever symptoms our loved ones are currently exhibiting.
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Dementia can be classified into stages in two ways:

1. One way is a 7 stage process

A link to the the Alzheimer's Association will provide more details: http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_stages_of_alzheimers.asp

2. The other way is a simpler 3 stage process, which can be described in the following link:

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Dementia_through_all_its_stages

Whatever the stage of dementia your loved one is in, it is important to discuss this with his/her physician and start planning ahead as the dementia progresses. Consulting a geriatric care manager can also help with the planning.

Best wishes,
Vik Rajan, M.D.

DISCLAIMER
The information provided above is FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY, and DOES NOT CONSTITUTE MEDICAL ADVICE/OPINION, is not meant to diagnose or treat any illness or disease, and is not a substitute for the medical evaluation and advice of your (or your loved one’s) primary care physician or other medical professional. While striving to be factual and exact, no warranties are made with regards to the accuracy of the information provided above. You are always advised to talk with your (or your loved one’s) doctor about any health concerns that you have and about any of the information provided above. Sole reliance on the information provided above is not advised and would be solely at your own risk and liability.
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