The majority of forms of dementia are progressive. People experience dementia in different ways - so, the rate at which they progress will vary depending on a number of different factors. These factors can include the type of dementia, the age of the person affected, and long-term health conditions.
When it comes to understanding dementia better, it can really help to think of it in three stages - which we're going to explore in this guide.
Contents
The Three Stages of Dementia - What Are They?
These three stages are commonly known as the early, middle and late, end or final stages of dementia. You might also hear them referred to as mild, moderate and severe dementia - named so based on the way in which the symptoms impact an individual living with them.
Some organisations break the progression down further, into seven stages: normal behaviour, forgetfulness, mild decline, moderate decline, moderately severe decline, severe decline and very severe decline. The main thing to note is they both describe the way dementia progresses, just in slightly different ways.
What are the Early Stages of Dementia?
During the earliest stages, the symptoms are often very mild to the point where they're difficult to notice. With this, lots of people can and choose to live independently, requiring only a small amount of assistance when it comes to daily living.
The symptoms during the early stages of dementia commonly include:
- memory issues (this is commonly one of the first Alzheimer's symptoms)
- challenges with planning, making decisions and problem-solving
- difficulties with orientation (i.e., forgetting familiar places and getting lost)
- visual-perception problems (such as judging distances - this is more common during the early stages of Alzheimer's and Lewy body dementia)
- mood changes (becoming anxious, depressed or irritable, for example)
- communication difficulties (struggling to find the right words or follow conversations)
How Long Does Early Stage Dementia Last?
It can last. on average, for around two years, according to the Alzheimer's Society.
What is Middle Stage Dementia?
For many people, the middle stage of dementia is where symptoms begin to become more noticeable - such as becoming more forgetful or showing behavioural changes.
It's also the point where more support may be needed in day-to-day life from a carer.
In the middle stages of dementia, the symptoms can include:
- worsening memory issues
- finding it more difficult to recognise loved ones or retain new information
- increasing communication difficulties
- struggling to find the right word; a person forgetting what they're saying mid-sentence; difficulties with following conversations
- more severe orientation problems
- confusion about the time of day or where they are
- continuing symptoms of apathy, anxiety and depression
- a person living with dementia may experience feelings the people around them can't be trusted or are out to cause them harm
- hallucinations
- seeing and hearing things that aren't there (though this is more prominent at this stage in someone affected by Alzheimer's)
People living with middle-stage dementia can also experience behavioural changes. These are amongst some of the most challenging symptoms – not only for the person affected, but also their loved ones and carers.
Commonly, they include:
- repetitive behaviour
- such as repeatedly asking the same question
- screaming or shouting
- a loss of inhibition
- doing and saying things that aren't appropriate
- agitation and restlessness
- disturbance to sleep patterns
- following a carer to make sure they're near
- 'sundowning'
- where a person's behaviour changes later in the afternoon or towards the end of the day, becoming extremely distressed or agitated
How Long Does Middle-Stage Dementia Last?
It's the stage that's the longest, lasting on average between two to four years, according to the Alzheimer's Society.
What is End Stage Dementia?
The end stage of dementia (also known as the 'later' or 'final' stages) is the point where the illness will have the most severe impact on an individual. Eventually, they'll require full-time support with day-to-day living - from medication management to personal care. For many this round-the-clock care is delivered within a dementia care home setting.
With the end stage of dementia, the symptoms can include:
- severe memory problems
- struggling to remember recent events
- 'time shifting' - where a person's experience is that they're living in an earlier period of their life
- difficulties with recognising familiar people, places and objects, or themselves in a mirror
- language issues
- a person who is multi-lingual may find themselves unable to speak one of the languages they learned at a later stage in their life
- they may not be able to understand as many words as they once did - reducing their language to just a few words
- however, a person living with dementia may be able to understand facial expressions, gestures and body languages
- changes to mood, emotions and perceptions
- feelings of depression and apathy are among the most common
- delusions and hallucinations are also common, but they're not always distressing
- more responsive to senses than words
- behavioural changes
- feelings of aggression, confusion, restlessness and fear being common
- physical challenges
- walking more slowly and steadily, with more of a shuffle
- increased risk of falls
- difficulty swallowing
- incontinence
How Long Does the Final Stage of Dementia Last?
The later stage is usually the shortest, lasting on average between one and two years, according to the Alzheimer’s Society.
How Does Sanctuary Help People with Dementia?
We understand it can be upsetting to think about dementia and the ways in which it impacts people.
However, it's always important to remember that there is support out there to help you or your loved one live well at all stages of the illness.
Here, at Sanctuary Care, we provide person-centred care for people living with dementia, as well as other conditions. Our care home teams across the country work with our residents, their families and their GPs to create a care plan that meets their exact requirements.
Find your nearest Sanctuary care home or contact us on 0800 046 4829 to learn more about our services.
