Model Answer - Unit 2, Activity 1.2, The Stages of Dementia Step A
This is a model answer, you might have listed some different ideas.
Stages 1-3 of dementia progression are generally known as "pre-dementia" stages.
Stage 1: No Cognitive Decline
At this stage of dementia development, there are no significant problems with memory, or any cognitive impairment.
Stage 2: Age Associated Memory Impairment
In this stage there are occasional lapses of memory such as forgetting where one has placed an object or forgetting names that were once very familiar. This can often be normal age-related cognitive decline, but it can also be one of the earliest signs of degenerative dementia although undetectable through clinical testing.
Stage 3: Mild Cognitive Impairment
Clear cognitive problems begin to happen in stage 3, and signs include getting lost easily, noticeably poor performance at work, forgetting the names of family members and close friends, difficulty retaining information read in a book or passage, losing or misplacing important objects, difficulty concentrating. Because these symptoms increasingly interfere with day to day life, patients often have increased anxiety in this stage.
Stage 4: Mild Dementia
Patients may start to become socially withdrawn and show changes in personality and mood such as decreased knowledge of current and/or recent events, difficulty remembering things about one's personal history, decreased ability to handle finances, arrange travel plans, disorientation. Patients will commonly deny symptoms and avoid challenging situations in order to hide symptoms or prevent stress or anxiety.
Stage 5: Moderate Dementia
The main sign for stage 5 dementia is the inability to remember major details such as the name of a close family member or a home address. Patients may become disoriented about the time and place, have trouble making decisions, and forget basic information about themselves, such as a telephone number or address.
Patients will need assistance with basic functions such as using the bathroom or eating.
Stage 6: Moderately Severe Dementia
When an individual begins to forget the names of their children, spouse, or primary caregivers, they are most likely entering stage 6 of dementia and will need full time care. In stage 6, patients are generally unaware of their surroundings, cannot recall recent events, and have skewed memories of their personal past. Signs of this stage can be delusional and obsessive behaviour, anxiety, aggression and agitation, loss of willpower. Patients may have difficulty sleeping and begin to wander.
Stage 7: Severe Dementia
In the final stage, the brain seems to lose its connection with the body and patients will progressively lose motor skills and the ability to speak. Loved ones and caregivers will need to help the individual with walking, eating, and using the bathroom.
Download this as a Word document:
()