When do Alzheimer’s patients stop talking?

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive condition often at work in the brain long before the first symptoms appear. Researchers believe that Alzheimer’s starts in one area of the brain and advances through other areas, which results in an ongoing decline in cognitive ability and eventual difficulty with motor skills like speaking.

In the earliest stages of Alzheimer’s, the areas of the brain that are responsible for memory and thinking are most impacted. At this stage, symptoms may include:

• Losing important objects
• Difficulty planning and organizing
• Trouble coming up with the right words
• Problems in social settings

People in the earlier stages can live well and independently in most cases. They’re encouraged to engage in meaningful and important activities at this stage and to engage in healthy activities like exercise and eating well.

During the middle stage of Alzheimer’s, a greater level of care and assistance is needed. This stage can last for many years. Symptoms become more pronounced and may begin to include:

• Forgetting personal history and events
• Moodiness or being withdrawn in social situations
• Forgetting basic information like address
• Confusion about time and place
• Wandering and becoming lost
• Personality and behavior changes
• Changes in sleeping patterns

In the later stage of Alzheimer’s, the symptoms are more severe. Patients begin to struggle with motor abilities like walking and speaking. At this stage, patients may:

• Require full-time care
• Lose awareness and ability to engage with their environment
• Lose physical abilities like walking, sitting, and swallowing
• Lost the ability to speak and communicate with others
• Become more vulnerable to infections like pneumonia

While the stages of Alzheimer’s are usually the same for each person, symptom severity and length of each stage can differ from person to person. After diagnosis, the life expectancy is typically four to eight years, but some people live much longer. At present, there are no treatments that stop or slow the progression of Alzheimer’s, although research on treatments is continual.

If you or a loved one have concerns about symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, talk with your doctor. Support is important to both caregivers and patients. For support, contact the Alzheimer’s Helpline at 1-800-272-3900.