20 Aug What Can I Expect During the Middle Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease?

You may have just been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and you are wondering how this disease will affect you in the upcoming years. The middle stages of Alzheimer’s disease will be filled with confusion and uncertainty, and that can be very frightening. However, by making efforts to gather information, you are already making this process a much easier one.

Knowing and preparing for what will likely happen now will help you cope with some of the most serious side effects, like depression and anxiety. Simply realizing that depression, anxiety, and delusions affect over half of Alzheimer’s disease patients may help you prevent these psychological conditions, by giving you the resolve to prepare.

Those who are in the middle stages of Alzheimer’s disease may also experience:

• Forgetting faces of friends and family members
• Forgetting where you are or why you are there
• Loss of impulse control
• Talking about people from childhood (believing that deceased relatives are still alive)
• Cannot recall what happened yesterday
• Cannot remember to take medication
• Needs assistance with daily tasks like getting dressed
• Cannot make decisions like ordering from a menu or picking out clothing
• Repeating questions, stories, or statements
• Confusing past events with things that happened recently
• Cannot remember who visited and when
• Irrational decision making
• Restlessness or pacing
• Frustration and anger

Preparing for the Middle Stages

Your needs will change as the disease progresses, so prepare now to prevent difficulties later. Once you reach the middle stage of Alzheimer’s disease, you may not be thinking clearly enough to give directions about your care. Ask yourself the tough questions like:

• Do I want to remain in my home for as long as possible?
• Would I be comfortable in a nursing home or care facility?
• Would I like to avoid a certain type of medication?
• Is there a specific person that I would like to care for me?

Make an appointment with the Palm Beach Neurological Center so our experts can help you better understand your individual situation. We can also help you decide what kind of future care you’d like to receive and what to expect in the next few years. Give us a call at 561-694-1010. We are happy to help in any way we can.

Sources:

Jones, R. Alzheimer’s Disease. The Pharmaceutical J. 2000; June; 264(7099): 8946-850.

Hart, D.J., et al. A retrospective study of the behavioural and psychological symptoms of mid and late phase Alzheimer’s disease. International J. of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2003; Nov.; 18(11): 1037-1042.