Alzheimer's 3 healing stages

“Alzheimer’s begins deep in the brain, in the entorhinal cortex, a brain region that is near the hippocampus and has direct connections to it. Healthy neurons in this region begin to work less efficiently, lose their ability to communicate, and ultimately die. This process gradually spreads to the hippocampus, the brain region that plays a major role in learning and is involved in converting short-term memories to long-term memories. Affected regions begin to atrophy. Ventricles, the fluid filled spaces inside the brain, begin to enlarge as the process continues. Scientists believe that these brain changes begin 10 to 20 years before any clinically detectable signs or symptoms of forgetfulness appear. That’s why they are increasingly interested in the very early stages of the disease process. They hope to learn more about what happens in the brain that sets a person on the path to developing Alzheimer’s. By knowing more about the early stages, they also hope to be able to develop drugs or other treatments that will slow or stop the disease process before significant impairment occurs

At some point, the damage occurring in the brain begins to show itself in very early clinical signs and symptoms. Much research is being done to identify these early changes, which may be useful in predicting dementia or Alzheimer’s. An important part of this research effort is the development of increasingly sophisticated neuro-imaging techniques and the use of biomarkers. Biomarkers are indicators, such as changes in sensory abilities, or substances that appear in body fluids, such as blood, cerebrospinal fluid, or urine. Biomarkers can indicate exposure to a substance, the presence of a disease, or the progression over time of a disease. For example, high blood cholesterol is a biomarker for risk of heart disease. Such tools are critical to helping scientists detect and understand the very early signs and symptoms of Alzheimer’s.

As Alzheimer’s spreads through the brain, the number of plaques and tangles grows, shrinkage progresses, and more and more of the cerebral cortex is affected. Memory loss continues and changes in other cognitive abilities begin to emerge. The clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s is usually made during this stage. Signs of mild Alzheimer’s can include:

Memory loss
Confusion about the location of familiar places(getting lost begins to occur)
Taking longer than before to accomplish normal daily tasks
Trouble handling money and paying bills
Poor judgment leading to bad decisions
Loss of spontaneity and sense of initiative
Mood and personality changes, increased anxiety and/or aggression

In mild Alzheimer’s, a person may seem to be healthy but is actually having more and more trouble making sense of the world around him or her. The realization that something is wrong often comes gradually to the person and his or her family.

Moderate Alzheimer’s
By this stage, Alzheimer’s damage has spread to the areas of the cerebral cortex that control language, reasoning, sensory processing, and conscious thought. Affected regions continue to shrink, ventricles enlarge, and signs and symptoms of the disease become more pronounced and widespread. Behavioral problems, such as wandering and agitation, can occur. More intensive supervision and care become necessary, which can be difficult for many spouses and families. The symptoms of this stage can include:

Increasing memory loss and confusion
Shortened attention span
Inappropriate outbursts of anger
Problems recognizing friends and family members
Difficulty with language and problems with reading, writing, and working with numbers
Difficulty organizing thoughts and thinking logically
Inability to learn new things or to cope with new or unexpected situations
Restlessness, agitation, anxiety, tearfulness, wandering—especially in the late afternoon or at night
Repetitive statements or movement, occasional muscle twitches Hallucinations, delusions, suspiciousness or paranoia, irritability
Loss of impulse control (shown through undressing at inappropriate times or places or vulgar language)
An inability to carry out activities that involve multiple steps in sequence, such as dressing, making a pot of coffee, or setting the table

Behavior is the result of complex brain processes, all of which take place in a fraction of a second in the healthy brain. In Alzheimer’s, many of those processes are disturbed, and these disrupted communications between neurons are the basis for many distressing or inappropriate behaviors. For example, a person may angrily refuse to take a bath or get dressed because he does not understand what his caregiver has asked him to do. If he does understand, he may not remember how to do it. The anger can be a mask for his confusion and anxiety. Or, a person with Alzheimer’s may constantly follow her husband or caregiver and fret when the person is out of sight. To a person who cannot remember the past or anticipate the future, the world can be strange and frightening. Sticking close to a trusted and familiar caregiver may be the only thing that makes sense and provides security.

Severe Alzheimer’s
In the last stage of Alzheimer’s, plaques and tangles are widespread throughout the brain, most areas of the brain have shrunk further, and ventricles have enlarged even more. People with Alzheimer’s cannot recognize family and loved ones or communicate in any way. They are completely dependent on others for care. Other symptoms can include:

Near the end, the person may be in bed much or all of the time. The most frequent cause of death for people with Alzheimer’s is aspiration pneumonia. This type of pneumonia develops when a person is not able to swallow properly and takes food or liquids into the lungs instead of air.”