There are five basic stages for the progression of the disease.

Dr. Shahzad Khan, a neurologist with Lehigh Valley Health Network, provided descriptions from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

1. Preclinical Alzheimer’s disease: The disease actually begins long before the symptoms become apparent. Usually, this stage is identified through biomarkers (amyloidß beta and tau) in research settings.

2. Mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s disease: The changes in memory and thinking ability are not significant enough to impair daily activities or interactions.

3. Mild dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease: People begin to experience significant difficulty with memory and thinking that impacts daily life. Some of the issues include difficulty with problem-solving or multi-tasking, difficulty in expressing thoughts, losing or misplacing things, getting lost, or changes in personality. They might also have trouble remembering newly learned information, which can cause them to ask the same question over and over again.

4. Moderate dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease: People show more confusion, increased forgetfulness, and a need for more help with daily activities and self-care. They show increasingly poor judgment and confusion, and an increased tendency to wander and become lost. They also can demonstrate personality and behavioral changes including suspiciousness. In this stage, caregivers may want to consider respite care or an adult day center, because they need more intensive care. The extra help can also provide for the caregiver.

5. Severe dementia or late-stage due to Alzheimer’s disease: Mental function continues to decline. They usually lose the ability to communicate coherently and require daily assistance with personal care (eating, dressing, using the bathroom and other self-care tasks).

At the end, a person will lose the ability to swallow and to control bladder and bowel functions. This is when they become vulnerable to complications such as infection and dehydration.