2. Unit 2 Later Stage Symptoms Review

2.1. Later Stage Symptoms

There was a lot in this book! Let us try to summarise some of the main points below.

We talked about memory in later stages, and that people with dementia are likely to have significant memory loss at later stages. This may mean that they cannot recognise those closest to them. However, even though it appears that the person with dementia is not able to recognise someone, they are still likely to experience feelings they associate with that person. 

For that reason, it’s important to continue  to keep communicating with the person with dementia. We showed you the video of Gladys and her reaction to music. We talked about finding a bridge to stored memories and experiences, and in that way we can keep communications open for as long as possible. 

We also emphasised that non-verbal / sensory communication is hugely important - use smell, touch, vision, music, singing, dancing and movement and art with your loved one.

We then touched on mobility issues and symptoms. We mentioned that movement can become more difficult in later stages of dementia. Check other potential contributory factors such as other medical issues or medications, and seek opinion of your GP or public health nurse if bed sores are an issue caused by sitting in the one position for a long time.

We also spoke about hoists to help in mobility and that occupational therapists can provide advice and guidance.

Then, we moved on to eating and drinking symptoms, and we provided some tips on how to improve food and water intake. Toileting and incontinence can be an issue too in later stages for some people. It is important to look at other potential contributory factors to incontinence, and we mentioned a number of these on page 7 of the book. Prompted toileting can help alleviate incontinence. 

We then moved onto personal care in more detail and looked at dressing, providing some tips on page 8.1. Finally, we moved onto changes in behaviour looking at examples on page 9.1 before offering some ways to manage these behaviours on page 9.2. 

See Book: Later Stages Symptoms for full details.