Explain the Stages of alzheimer's disease?
- Stage I - There is an increased forgetfulness, anxiety and depression. Associated nutrition related changes include difficulty in food preparation, forgetting to eat, taste and smell changes, altered food choices and impaired appetite regulation.
- Stage II - There is a memory loss, especially for the recent events. There is disorientation and personality changes occur. Dietary manifestations include an increase in energy requirements as a result of agitation, holding food in the mouth, forgetting to eat and swallow, forgetting the use of eating equipment except perhaps a spoon and eating with hand.
- Stage III - This is characterized by severe mental confusion, psychosis, memory loss, personal neglect and distinct feeding problems. There may be no recognition of food with refusal to open the mouth for eating,
Persons with Alzheimer disease thus have impaired ability to recognize hunger, thirst, or satiety. They are prone to dehydration. As the disease progresses, their attention span reduce, they are easily distracted and forgetful and may stop eating or not eat enough or try and eat inedible items. Eventually nutritional support may be required to sustain them.