Essay On Dementia Care

525 Words2 Pages

Dementia Care: The Stages of Dementia

Dementia and Alzheimer's disease, the primary form of dementia in America, are scary words. Dementia is a progressive and debilitating disease that currently does not have a cure. Nearly 50 million people in the world have Alzheimer's disease, nearly 6 million of them live in the United States. The good news, if you are looking for any sort of a silver lining, is that not everybody who has dementia is in the final stages of this insidious disease, and advances are being developed every day that will, hopefully, one day put an end to dementia once and for all.

Until the day a cure is discovered, the disease will continue to progress through the stages. Some progressions will go faster than others and some individuals will face more severe symptoms than others will. To help doctors and researchers discuss the disease more effectively, a series of general stages was developed. The stages of the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) are described by the National Institute of Health as ways to "describe a patient’s ability to perform in six different areas of cognition and functioning: orientation, memory, judgment, home and hobbies, personal care, and community." The level of dementia care a senior requires is directly …show more content…

If your loved one did not suspect they had dementia before, this is the stage where it will likely be discovered and diagnosed. Completing daily tasks becomes a challenge due to worsening short-term memory. Personal care, hygiene, housework, and important events may be forgotten. This means bills may not be paid and medications may not be taken. Directions, time, and geography often cause confusion due because of disorientation. In the later part of stage 3, an individual may get lost in a familiar location. Dementia care is highly suggested at this stage. Many seniors will need private home care to remain safe and independent, and others will want to have support to get their lives in

More about Essay On Dementia Care

Open Document