How Long Does It Take for Alzheimers to Progress?
Tuesday, January 5th, 2010 at
5:09 am
missy asked:
Me and my family have just found out that my dad is in the early stages of alzheimers. I am just wonder how long my dad will be o.k. before the disease begins to change who he is, and also what are some things i can do with my dad to help him.
Tagged with: Dad • Early Stages Of Alzheimers • Stages of Alzheimer's
Filed under: Alzheimers
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I believe it depends on the severity of it.
If he has it he should be on either Razadyne, Exelon or Aricept as any of those meds are very effective at helping with Alzheimers. There is no way to know how long your dad has before he changes as it progresses differently in each person. To help him accept him as he is. If one day he is totally fixated on buying some paint to paint something then take him to get paint and give him a board to paint. Do not let him drive when the time comes that he is a danger to himself and others. If he starts to wander off at times put alarms over the doors so you can hear if he attempts to go out alone at night. Keep all of his belongings in familiar places so it is easy for him to find things. Buy him clothes that are easy to put on and are all color coordinated so to speak so that anything he puts on looks good. This would be say all one color pants and shirts in all colors that look good with these pants. Slip on shoes or velcro shoes are a good idea. For more help and ideas email me as I have worked in Nursing homes for over 33 years.
As I understand it, a lot depends on the diet and the severity of the condition. There are some people out there that suffer from the condition for 10 to 15 years before it becomes debilitating.
Good luck.
The AVERAGE time from diagnosis to death is 7 years. Having had 3 relatives with Alzheimer’s I would say that that is a fair average depending on the age of onset, or diagnosis and other health issues.
Hi there. It looks like you’ve already received some good suggestions for helping your father. I have a few more to add to your list.
•In these early stages, it may be good for you, your family members and your father to join a support group. This will help educate you all on what to expect, and give you people to talk to along the way.
•Do your research! Read everything you can on the topic. The more prepared you are, the more calmly you will react to behaviors that may seem scary to you. Your reactions to his behaviors will greatly impact the severity of an episode.
•Safeguard his home. Make sure the lighting is adequate to help prevent disorientation. Add locks to medicine cabinets or other dangerous areas. Eventually, you may want to look into some type of wander management system so he doesn’t leave the house alone and get into a dangerous situation.
•If your dad starts talking about things from the past or anything that doesn’t make sense to you, instead of correcting him, use therapeutic lying “Your mother’s not going to be here for an hour or two. Let’s take a walk to the beach.”
•Learn about Sundowner’s Syndrome. A lot of people with Alzheimer’s experience this disorder which strikes in the evening. If you know what to expect, you’ll be prepared to offset the symptoms. Here’s a link to a blog I wrote about Sundowner’s Syndrome for Gilbert Guide, a resource for senior care:
•Talk to his doctor about medications and learn the side effects. Many medications will cause incontinence and other physical issues, but they will help alleviate the Alzheimer’s symptoms.
•Try not to visit too many unfamiliar environments and to limit sensory overload. If you take him to the Empire State Building, which is crowded, new and scary even for some people without dementia, he may get agitated and paranoid.
•If he wears glasses or a hearing aid, remind him to use them. If his senses are impaired, it will be challenging to recognize visual cues.
•Don’t speak to him like a child, but use short, direct sentences to avoid confusion.
•Use statements instead of questions whenever possible if you see him getting frustrated.
On the Gilbert Guide blog, we have a section devoted to Alzheimer’s. This will be a great place to start your research. Here’s a link to the section:
Here is a link to some books for dealing with the early stages of Alzheimer’s:
If you have any questions I may be able to answer for you, feel free to drop me a line at.
Lori