The most common cause of death among Alzheimer's patients is aspiration pneumonia. This happens when, due to difficulty in swallowing caused by the disease, an individual inadvertently inhales food particles, liquid, or even gastric fluids.
Signs of the final stages of dementia include some of the following: Being unable to move around on one's own. Being unable to speak or make oneself understood. Eating problems such as difficulty swallowing.
Signs of late-stage dementia
speech limited to single words or phrases that may not make sense. having a limited understanding of what is being said to them. needing help with most everyday activities. eating less and having difficulties swallowing.
The later stage of dementia tends to be the shortest. On average it lasts about one to two years.
During the later stages of Alzheimer's disease, a person may lose the ability to move and spend much of his or her time in a bed or chair. This lack of movement can cause problems such as pressure sores or bedsores, and stiffness of the arms, hands, and legs.
Tiredness and concentration – tiredness can cause people with dementia to not eat or give up partway through a meal. It can also lead to other difficulties such as problems with concentration or with co-ordination. People with dementia may have difficulties focusing on a meal all the way through.
In stage 6 of dementia, a person may start forgetting the names of close loved ones and have little memory of recent events.
Sleeping more and more is a common feature of later-stage dementia. As the disease progresses, the damage to a person's brain becomes more extensive and they gradually become weaker and frailer over time.
Administration: The examiner reads a list of 5 words at a rate of one per second, giving the following instructions: “This is a memory test. I am going to read a list of words that you will have to remember now and later on. Listen carefully. When I am through, tell me as many words as you can remember.
This guideline is used by professionals and caregivers around the world to identify at what stage of the disease a person is in. Stages 1-3 are the pre-dementia stages; stages 4-7 are the dementia stages. Stage 5 is the point where a person can no longer live without assistance.
Terminal lucidity is not an official medical term, but it refers to people with dementia unexpectedly returning to a clear mental state shortly before death. Experts do not know exactly why a person may experience this lucidity, and more research on the neurological mechanisms involved is necessary.
The terminal lucidity dementia and “paradoxical lucidity” are the same. A case study of 49 cases of end-stage dementia shows that 43% of the patients experienced PL a few hours before death. It's followed by 2 to 7 days at 41%, and only 10% of cases show terminal lucidity occurs 8 to 30 days before death.
The Mini-Cog test.
A third test, known as the Mini-Cog, takes 2 to 4 minutes to administer and involves asking patients to recall three words after drawing a picture of a clock. If a patient shows no difficulties recalling the words, it is inferred that he or she does not have dementia.
Visions and Hallucinations
Visual or auditory hallucinations are often part of the dying experience. The appearance of family members or loved ones who have died is common. These visions are considered normal. The dying may turn their focus to “another world” and talk to people or see things that others do not see.
A conscious dying person can know if they are on the verge of dying. Some feel immense pain for hours before dying, while others die in seconds. This awareness of approaching death is most pronounced in people with terminal conditions such as cancer.
The five-minute cognitive test (FCT) was designed to capture deficits in five domains of cognitive abilities, including episodic memory, language fluency, time orientation, visuospatial function, and executive function.
Dementia vs. Alzheimer's Disease: What is the Difference? Dementia is a general term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life, while Alzheimer's is a specific disease. Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia.
The main sign of mild cognitive impairment is a slight decline in mental abilities. Examples include: Memory loss: You may forget recent events or repeat the same questions and stories. You may occasionally forget the names of friends and family members or forget appointments or planned events.
They may experience sundowning—restlessness, agitation, irritability, or confusion that can begin or worsen as daylight begins to fade—often just when tired caregivers need a break. Sundowning can continue into the night, making it hard for people with Alzheimer's to fall asleep and stay in bed.
Often when a person with dementia asks to go home it refers to the sense of 'home' rather than home itself. 'Home' may represent memories of a time or place that was comfortable and secure and where they felt relaxed and happier. It could also be an indefinable place that may not physically exist.
Dementia stage 5: Moderately severe cognitive decline
At this point, a person may no longer be able to carry out normal activities of daily living (ADLs), such as dressing or bathing, or Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) without some caregiver assistance.
It is a concept that refers to the way in which dementia tends to affect memory. Dementia does not usually affect all memories equally. Instead, the condition primarily attacks more recent memories, such as short-term memories from day-to-day life or deeper memories formed within the last few years.
In the middle stage of dementia, symptoms become more noticeable and the person will need more support in managing daily life. This stage of dementia is often the longest. On average it lasts about two to four years.