From: unk...@googlegroups.com   
      
   Warning signs and stages of Alzheimer's disease   
   PTH 8:40 p.m. EDT November 1, 2014   
      
      
      
   As we discussed last week, November is National Alzheimer's Awareness Month.   
   In our practice, we regularly come across clients or their loved ones who have   
   Alzheimer's disease with its related dementia symptoms. It is important we as   
   legal professionals    
   understand Alzheimer's disease and dementia, since it affects so many of our   
   clients and how we advise them.   
      
   It is also important that you understand Alzheimer's, since it is reported   
   that more than 5 million Americans have the disease. You likely will encounter   
   someone with the disease or might even have it yourself.   
      
   The Alzheimer's Association has developed a checklist of common symptoms of   
   Alzheimer's disease to assist you in recognizing the warning signs:   
      
   1. Memory changes that disrupt daily life.   
      
   2. Challenges in planning and solving problems.   
      
   3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks.   
      
   4. Confusion to time and place.   
      
   5. Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships.   
      
   6. New problems with words in speaking or writing.   
      
   7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps.   
      
   8. Decreased or poor judgment.   
      
   9. Withdrawal from work or social activities.   
      
   10. Changes in mood or personality.   
      
   The progression of Alzheimer's can vary from person to person -- and not   
   everyone will experience the same symptoms. Barry Reisberg, M.D., clinical   
   director of the New York University School of Medicine's Silberstein Aging and   
   Dementia Research Center,    
   has developed a framework that is generally recognized as the seven stages of   
   Alzheimer's:   
      
   Stage 1: No impairment (normal function). The person does not experience any   
   memory problems. An interview with a medical professional does not show any   
   evidence of symptoms of dementia.   
      
   Stage 2: Very mild cognitive decline (may be normal age-related changes or   
   earliest signs of Alzheimer's disease). The person might feel as if he or she   
   is having memory lapses -- forgetting familiar words or the location of   
   everyday objects. But no    
   symptoms of dementia can be detected during a medical examination or by   
   friends, family or co-workers.   
      
   Stage 3: Mild cognitive decline (early-stage Alzheimer's can be diagnosed in   
   some, but not all, individuals with these symptoms). Friends, family or   
   co-workers begin to notice difficulties. During a detailed medical interview,   
   doctors might be able to    
   detect problems in memory or concentration. Common stage 3 difficulties   
   include:   
      
   * Noticeable problems coming up with the right word or name.   
      
   * Trouble remembering names when introduced to new people.   
      
   * Having noticeably greater difficulty performing tasks in social or work   
   settings.   
      
   * Forgetting material that one has just read.   
      
   * Losing or misplacing a valuable object.   
      
   * Increasing trouble with planning or organizing.   
      
   Stage 4: Moderate cognitive decline (Mild or early-stage Alzheimer's disease).   
   At this point, a careful medical interview should be able to detect clear-cut   
   symptoms in several areas:   
      
   * Forgetfulness of recent events.   
      
   * Impaired ability to perform challenging mental arithmetic -- for example,   
   counting backward from 100 by 7s.   
      
   * Greater difficulty performing complex tasks, such as planning dinner for   
   guests, paying bills or managing finances.   
      
   * Forgetfulness about one's own personal history.   
      
   * Becoming moody or withdrawn, especially in socially or mentally challenging   
   situations.   
      
   Stage 5: Moderately severe cognitive decline (Moderate or mid-stage   
   Alzheimer's disease). Gaps in memory and thinking are noticeable, and   
   individuals begin to need help with day-to-day activities. At this stage,   
   those with Alzheimer's may:   
      
   * Be unable to recall their own address or telephone number or the high school   
   or college from which they graduated.   
      
   * Become confused about where they are or what day it is.   
      
   * Have trouble with less challenging mental arithmetic, such as counting   
   backward from 40 by subtracting 4s or from 20 by 2s.   
      
   * Need help choosing proper clothing for the season or the occasion.   
      
   * Still remember significant details about themselves and their family.   
      
   * Still require no assistance with eating or using the toilet.   
      
   Stage 6: Severe cognitive decline (Moderately severe or mid-stage Alzheimer's   
   disease). Memory continues to worsen, personality changes may take place and   
   individuals need extensive help with daily activities. At this stage,   
   individuals may:   
      
   * Lose awareness of recent experiences as well as of their surroundings.   
      
   * Remember their own name, but have difficulty with their personal history.   
      
   * Distinguish familiar and unfamiliar faces, but have trouble remembering the   
   name of a spouse or caregiver.   
      
   * Need help dressing properly and may, without supervision, make mistakes such   
   as putting pajamas over daytime clothes or shoes on the wrong feet.   
      
   * Experience major changes in sleep patterns -- sleeping during the day and   
   becoming restless at night.   
      
   * Need help handling details of toileting.   
      
   * Have increasingly frequent trouble controlling their bladder or bowels.   
      
   * Experience major personality and behavioral changes, including   
   suspiciousness and delusions (such as believing that their caregiver is an   
   impostor) or compulsive, repetitive behavior like hand-wringing or tissue   
   shredding.   
      
   * Tend to wander or become lost.   
      
   Stage 7: Very severe cognitive decline (Severe or late-stage Alzheimer's   
   disease). In the final stage of this disease, individuals lose the ability to   
   respond to their environment, to carry on a conversation and, eventually, to   
   control movement. They    
   might still say words or phrases. At this stage, individuals need help with   
   much of their daily personal care, including eating or using the toilet. They   
   might also lose the ability to smile, to sit without support and to hold their   
   heads up. Reflexes    
   become abnormal. Muscles grow rigid. Swallowing is impaired.   
      
   Because Alzheimer's affects different persons in different ways, it is   
   difficult to place a person with Alzheimer's in a specific stage, and stages   
   might overlap. Alzheimer's generally gets worse over time and usually is   
   fatal. Although there are    
   treatments for symptoms of Alzheimer's, there currently is no cure.   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)