Seven Stages of Alzheimer’s – Stage Two
Firsthand experience with people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s can be misleading. Symptoms appear, the diagnosis is confirmed, and the individual shows increasingly severe signs of cognitive impairment. As time goes on, the decline becomes more evident and more rapid. Alzheimer’s may take as long as 25 years or more to progress from the initial stages to the end of life.
Stage Two – Just Getting a Little Forgetful
“Forgetfulness” is a familiar complaint among people 65-and-over. In fact, at least half of all persons in this age group report occasional mild difficulty in recalling someone’s name or remembering where they left items such as keys or eyeglasses. Forgetfulness can be caused by any number of factors, many unrelated to Alzheimer’s disease. But while “normal age forgetfulness” is simply another aspect of aging and may not be particularly noticeable to loved ones or even the family physician, persons with these symptoms may later be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. In confirmed cases of Alzheimer’s, it is routinely discovered that the individual had previously exhibited “Stage 2” symptoms.
