Introduction
Sometimes we all experience memory lapses such as misplacing vehicle keys, calling a neighbor by the wrong name, or forgetting to buy bread at the grocery store. However, the risk of Alzheimer’s disease increases as people become older, forgetfulness becomes more common, and it’s hard to tell what is normal — as if it’s an indication of Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most frequent kind of dementia, a word that refers to the loss of memory abilities. Alzheimer’s disease can cause a decline in a person’s capacity to carry out daily tasks, such as eating and talking. Moreover, a person may also lose their capacity to solve problems and retain emotional control, as well as have personality changes and behavioral issues including restlessness, illusions, and hallucinations.
Keep in mind that Alzheimer’s affects people in different ways. Although the timing and severity of each stage may vary from person to person, understanding the indicators of each stage can help to manage the condition. Preventive Alzheimer’s Clinical Trials near you can also go a long way in helping countless others get an in-depth understanding of the condition.
Stage 1: Before the onset of symptoms
Changes in the brain linked to Alzheimer’s occur before symptoms appear, as they do with many disorders.
This phase, known as ‘preclinical Alzheimer’s disease,’ begins 10 to 15 years before patients develop symptoms. Dr. Wolk explains “At present, there is no cure for this preclinical stage, but we believe that in the future, we will have drugs that can stop the disease before it develops symptoms and prevent it.”
Because with age the risk of Alzheimer’s disease rises, it’s critical to maintain frequent primary care visits so that early indications of the condition can be detected.
Stage 2: Absolute Forgetfulness
Everyone forgets things now and then, and it’s more likely to happen as you get older. Alzheimer’s disease might appear to be typical forgetfulness in its early stages.
People may experience memory lapses, such as forgetting people’s names or where they put their car keys, but they are still capable of driving, working, and socializing. These memory losses, on the other hand, are becoming increasingly common.
Stage 3: Noticeable Memory Problems
This period delivers visible changes for many people. Beyond forgetting names and misplacing stuff, this period is filled with challenges. A person may have.
- Difficulties recalling what they’ve recently read, such as novels or magazines.
- Organizing and remembering plans are becoming increasingly challenging.
- Harder time remembering a name or a word.
- Difficulties in social situations or at work.
This stage is a cause of concern as many people may even deny that anything is wrong. These emotions are understandable but failing to speak with a doctor will simply cause symptoms to worsen.
Stage 4: It’s Not Just Memory Loss
At this stage, brain injury frequently affects components of cognition other than memory, such as difficulties with language, organizing, and calculating. During this stage, which can continue for years, a person will have significant memory problems. Individuals also face the following challenges:
- They don’t know what day it is or where they are.
- Increased chance of getting lost or walking off
- Restlessness at night and sleeping during the day are examples of changes in sleep habits.
- Having trouble deciding what to wear for the weather or the event
- Situations that demand a lot of thought, such as being at a social gathering, may be quite difficult at this time, and it’s typical to feel moody or isolated.
Stage 5: Being Dependent
At this point, your loved one is likely to have difficulty remembering essential persons in their lives, such as close relatives and friends. They may find it difficult to learn new things, and even simple actions such as getting dressed may be too much for them. During this time, emotional changes are also prevalent, including:
- Seeing things that aren’t there is known as hallucination.
- False beliefs that you think to be true are known as illusions.
- Anxiety is the fear that people are conspiring against you.
Stage 6: Serious Illness
Living alone requires being able to react to your surroundings, such as knowing what to do if the fire alarm goes off or the phone rings. For those who are at Alzheimer’s disease risk, this gets more difficult throughout this stage.
During this time, it may also be difficult to communicate. People may still find themselves challenging to use words and phrases to convey their thoughts. However, significant personality changes, such as extreme anxiety, hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia, may persist. People may increasingly be irritated with their close ones as their independence declines.
Stage 7: Lack of Physical Control
Alzheimer’s disease kills brain cells, which can lead to severe mental and physical disability. As Person’s mind struggles to communicate and assign responsibilities properly, their body may begin to shut down. Their requirements will considerably rise at this stage. They may require round-the-clock assistance with walking, sitting, and swallowing.
WAYS TO REDUCE ALZHEIMER’s DISEASE RISKS
Depression may be detected and treated.
While we don’t yet know how to avoid depression, we do know that many individuals who are depressed do not receive proper therapy and that untreated depression increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease dramatically.
Increase physical activity/exercise
We all know that exercise and physical activity are good for a healthy brain, including cognitive function, throughout life. Exercise may also help cognition in adults who already have a cognitive impairment, according to new research. Exercise, for example, has been shown to enhance mild cognitive impairment.
Take healthy foods.
What’s healthy for the heart is good for the mind, too, so it’s no surprise that being extremely overweight raises the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia-related conditions. But it may come as a surprise that the foods we consume can impact Alzheimer’s disease risks. Diets high in fruits, vegetables, and grains and low in meat, sweets, and saturated fat are considered to cut Alzheimer’s Disease risks significantly.
Quit the habit
It’s well known that smoking is bad for your health, but perhaps less well known that it is associated with risk for Alzheimer’s. So cutting down the habit will significantly reduce the Alzheimer’s Disease Risks.
SO, WHAT’s NEXT?
While this is not a comprehensive or exhaustive list of the various risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease, the Clinical Research Organization in Michigan is a good place to start in modifying one’s lifestyle to reduce the chance of the condition. More Alzheimer’s Disease research is needed to learn how these and other lifestyle variables increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. As well as how reducing these risk factors among people who already have some impairment might reduce the conversion rates to Alzheimer’s and other dementias.
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