What Are the Stages of Dementia?

Thank you Ms. Debra, this is a video everyone should watch and be informed about dementia. Your video was very well presented.

My 51-year-old daughter has been diagnosed with dementia. I thank you very much for this video. I think she may be in stage 3-4. She still works, but all she does is wash dishes and clean some. She has been there for 10 years, so I guess that is why she can still do it. It’s basically repetitious. Too, the people there help her when she needs it. When she gets agitated, they just tell her to take a break. I really appreciate them. She can’t drive anymore, because she gets lost and she gets highly agitated in traffic. She lives with my oldest daughter, so she takes her to work. She can remember things that happened many years ago when her children were little but can’t remember what you told her 5 minutes ago. It breaks my heart to see her like that. She is my baby. 😢😢. She lives with my oldest daughter and is well-cared for. I live about 5 hours away. I wish I could be closer, but my oldest daughter says God has me in the right place; at my own home. Sorry for the long post. Maybe I just needed to “talk” to someone not family. Thank you again, and I will continue to watch your videos.

I think my wife of 47 years is in stage 6 now. She can’t carry on a normal conversation anymore but she still eats pretty good and dresses herself but not well. She was so smart and could do most anything she put her mind to. She did bank mergers when she worked for BB&T, traveled by car all along the east coast by herself before we had GPS and was so quick thinking and organized. Breaks my heart but she still remembers Jesus and church and still wants to go. I know the Lord is taking care of her and helping me along the way.

I was diagnosed with dementia 4 years ago, and I am still doing great.

I'm going through this with my mom right now. She's in stage 6 and refuses to leave her home. This is the hardest thing to go through and watch her decline. PRAYERS! PLEASE🙏

One thing I noticed thru out my nursing career with people with dementia- they never forget who God is

This is very helpful. I believe I am in stage 2. My mother died at 93 and I watched her progress through these stages. Her generation was not really aware of this as a diagnosis although they had relatives who "went senile". My children note that I have a tendency to leave things when I visit them (hats, coats etc). I first suspected the diagnosis 20 years ago when trying to cope when visiting a strange city in a strange country in a different time zone. Over the past 2-3 years my memory for current day and date, for names and words has markedly deteriorated (noticeable to me only). I have very poor sense of smell. There are other memory symptoms I could list. I still function at a high level and I don't think friends would have noticed anything. I do a lot of physical exercise, both aerobic and resistance training as I believe the evidence suggests that this slows down progression. I am also on a low sugar diet. I successfully run my own fairly complex investment portfolios though wonder how long I can do this. I live alone so no wife to notice things. I have recently given up some teaching work in retirement that I no longer have the previous great enthusiasm for. I am 78 this year and think I probably have another 2 good years, maybe more. I am a retired medical practitioner so have some medical insight. It is important to try and keep these things hidden as long as possible, because the label or even suspicion of early dementia affects all social relationships. Yet certain things have to be done to tidy one's life and prepare for the worst while still competent. I have had a good life and have made preparations for what I will do when I reach a certain stage. Read into that what you will. Future society will have to face the option of predetermined voluntary assisted dying for those with severe dementia. Let's face it - who would want to continue living in that dreadful demeaning and mindless condition?

My mother’s brother, who was an inventor & had enormous amounts of info on every topic, had bits of forgetfulness & a few dents on his car before we realized he was in trouble. He lived alone & only visited family occasionally. Then he showed up with a battered face & couldn’t really explain who did it or when. His brothers began checking in him. Within 6 months, he couldn’t drive, carry on a conversation or realize where he was & was in a care facility. The last time I visited him, he was at a table being fed. He was in a zombie like state & had to be told to open his mouth, then to chew, & then ti swallow. He did not know me & wasn’t really there. I left with tears running down my face.It is a horrible end to anyone’s life. God bless those who have it, those who witness it, & the caregivers. Heartbreaking for all.🙏

A person should have the option to take a pill and end an agony for all. Allowing someone to go through thus us heartless and selfish.

My mother, who had was stage 6 at the end of her life, often said: Old age is not for the faint of heart.

I cared for my mother with dementia for three years. She died only a few days ago in her own house and bed as I promised her. The experience is something I shall never forget although in the end she died peacefully. Her own doctor never visited her in all that time and she passed away at the age of 97. She always managed to walk up the stairs with me behind her but seven days before she died she suddenly stopped walking while going upstairs and I had to carry her up. She spent the remainder of her life being cared for in bed.

I take care of my Mother-in-law. She has always been a mean and hateful person and dementia has amplified it. When i read articles on dementia they always refer to " a loved one". That is not the my situation. I take excellent care of her at the risk of my mental health. She has ni friends and only my husband as family. She has never concidered me family. She is 85 and i have realized i will never put my family through this hell. My husband deals as best he can. Being a caretaker is this hardest job. I can't imagine doing this for "a loved one".

My god, what a nightmare. I'm so sorry for anyone dealing with this.

My mother has dementia, and my sister has altzheimers and yes it’s heartbreaking to witness.😭 I find myself crying most of the time when I’m with them. 🌸

My dad had dementia or altzheimers so bad he couldn't even talk in the end. He was a generator and alternator rebuilder. Had his hands in solvents all the time. It makes me want cry when i think about it. I could never had a better father

This video was very helpful. Unfortunately, one of my brothers-in-law appears to be stage 6, the other is about 4. Also, my younger sister died last November from what we think was stroke-caused dementia. I do have to say, dementia is very stressful on the patient, caregivers and family. My sister would call me often (until stage 7) and when I answered, I did not know who it would be on the other end of the line. Sometimes she was clear-headed and we could converse and reminisce, other times she was delusional and thought her caretaker was trying to kill her or there were strangers living in the upstairs rooms. But in her clear hours, she was upset that she knew she wouldn't remember our talk the next day. As she was in Mexico and I am in Washington, it was a very helpless feeling for me to know how terrible it was for her and I couldn't help. It broke my heart when she died but at the same time, I knew it was for the best and she is free of that body that let her down. Thanks for making this video and helping me understand what happened to her and what is happening to my other family members.

My step mom, and my dad’s love of his life, has both Lewy Body Dementia and Parkinsons Dementia. She is well into stage 6, with some regression periodically into stages 4 and 5. It has been heartbreaking for all of us, and her rapid decline into stage 6 has been overwhelming and confusing and frustrating and scary for my dad. He refuses to put her into a home but I see the toll it is taking on him, and I know that I’m going to lose him quicker because of it. It’s all just so dang awful. No one deserves to lose their mind like this, and no one deserves to see their loved ones take that journey. And there’s not a damn thing we can do other than wish that we had death with dignity options in our country (if you don’t have them, like the US). She is so unhappy, so confused, she had to go into hospital last week and she was violent and had to be strapped to a chair! She’s never had a violent bone in her body, she has always been so reasonable and so informed and so incredibly intelligent. Now she does not know who my dad is most days, and mixes him up with her first husband from over 40 years ago. She will sometimes ask someone who someone is, not recognizing her own daughter or brother or grandchild. She has to be catheterized constantly, has constant UTIs from not drinking enough water, is constantly dehydrated, which just makes the confusion even worse. She then also sometimes loses control and makes a mess all over herself, the floor, the bed, etc. she gets food all over everything when she tries to eat. She can no longer type/can’t make her fingers do what she wants to do and can’t recognize that emails or typing is illegible to anyone else. She falls frequently, is very unsteady on her feet, cannot make her legs do what she wants them to do many times, and has a very slow, very shuffling walk. She still sometimes talks about current events, though that is definitely less frequent now. She often will be speaking but then completely forget about what she was talking about. She thinks my dad is having affairs with people (he would never), or that the hospital is out to get her, or whatever. She hallucinates constantly, always seeing people in their house. She thinks they’re using her toothbrush, sleeping in her bed, wearing her clothes, etc. she sees creatures in piles of clothes or a pillow or a blanket. She does not think she’s in her home but rather a home that looks just like her home but isn’t her home. She’s calling 911 and reporting that my dad is dead or she’s scared or there are intruders. She walks over to the neighbors house in the middle of the night to tell them the same kind of stuff. She does not see or recognize messes. She cries a lot, is so scared and confused. I share all this in case anyone else is going through something similar. You are not alone, but it is hard. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through, losing this vibrant woman that we love, and seeing its impact on my dad. Every day i wish i could fix it, i wish I could help, I wish that i could somehow make it better, or just make it end (terrible, I know, but true.)

One of the first signs I noticed with my dad was the way he walked.

I believe I may be in stage three now. It is pretty frightening to know that you are on that downhill path, not knowing how long it will be before your world just fades away. I am not going to be a burden to others at the end of my days. That is a promise I made to myself long ago.

Thank you for this i went through it with my Dad who died in 2008. My Mom stayed in denial and demanded that he be “ normal” like driving her around. He had bad behaviors that got him into legal trouble. She felt it was not her problem. My two boys that had been very close with their grands stayed on me until I realized I had to be the informed one, sometimes the bad guy. My only sibling, a brother, refused to see any problem at all, except with me. I got as educated as I could. I read about stages several times but was unable to match him with them. Your explanation of fluidity hit home with me. Thank you. Going through all this was the hardest thing I ever did. How hard is it to notify the DMV that your Father should not drive? My Mom was very angry and thought a doctor had done it. I have to find more of your videos. Thank you again. You know what I think? You never grow up completely until you have gone through old age with your parents.