There are three main stages of Alzheimer’s: early, middle and late. The earliest stages of the disease are often mild, with some people not even noticing an impact until symptoms progress towards the middle stages. However, knowing the signs and how to live well with them helps individuals with the disease feel more comfortable and prepared for the future.
Today, we’ll explore what you need to know about early-stage Alzheimer’s, how to live well with it and tips for managing the condition’s symptoms.
What Happens During the Early Stages of Alzheimer’s?
The early stage of Alzheimer’s is when symptoms are at their mildest. Most people are able to continue living life as they were before the onset of symptoms, such as going to work and volunteering in the community, driving a car, and keeping up with their social calendar.
However, as symptoms begin to progress from early to middle-stage, activities of daily living are likely to become more difficult to manage alone. It’s likely that progressing symptoms, such as memory loss and judgment impairments, will require more help and precaution to ensure they remain safe.
The most common and prevalent symptom of early-stage Alzheimer’s is memory loss.
While symptoms affect everyone differently, this is likely to result in:
- Losing belongings frequently
- Avoiding social activities and outings
- Forgetting conversations they’ve had recently
- Becoming set in their ways
- Missing birthdays, anniversaries or appointments
- Finding it difficult to make decisions or making bad choices
- Forgetting the day, week or date
- Repeating the same question over and over
- Misremembering the names or words for things
- An inability to find the right word in conversation
The above symptoms may make people with early-stage Alzheimer’s more vulnerable when on their own, even if they can still live well independently. The majority of support an individual needs at this point in their condition is companionship and emotional support as they adjust to their changing future and diagnosis.
Living Well with Early-stage Alzheimer’s
Learning of an Alzheimer’s diagnosis can be daunting, but the good news is that there are plenty of ways you can ensure your loved one remains happy and comfortable through effective management tips. These include:
1. Planning Days the Night Before
A common worry for people with early-stage Alzheimer’s is that they’re losing control of their lives. Planning the day ahead of time, either the night before or first thing in the morning, can help them feel more confident as they move through the day.
Helpful ways to plan the day are:
- Write down a to-do list for each day
- Mark appointments and events on a physical calendar
- Designate one place in the house for important everyday items
- Leave memory aids around the house, such as sticky notes
2. Minor Home Adjustments for Comfort
When a loved one is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, making sure their home is dementia friendly is an important way to ensure they can live well and independently for as long as possible.
Examples of creating a dementia-friendly home include:
- Installing a carbon monoxide and smoke detector in the home
- Replacing kitchen appliances with ones that feature auto shut-off devices
- Labelling drawers and cupboards to show what’s in them
- Removing trip hazards, such as rugs, carpets and low-lying furniture
- Installing grab bars and handrails in the bathroom
- Removing locks on internal doors
To learn more, we have a helpful guide on how to create a dementia-friendly home.
3. Keeping on Top of Medication
Medication is an essential part of symptom management for individuals living with dementia and Alzheimer’s, but with memory lapses becoming more frequent, it can be easy to forget doses. Alarms and written reminders can be beneficial if your loved one frequently forgets if and when they’ve taken their medication.
A dosette or weekly pill box is an excellent way to keep track of medication. They’re usually split between AM and PM for every day of the week, and some even have alarms to remind individuals it’s time for the next dose.
4. Brain Stimulating Activities
It’s never too early to start brain training games and activities, especially during the early stages of Alzheimer’s when cognitive health is most important.
Examples of stimulating dementia activities include:
- Crossword puzzles, Sudoku and word searches
- Art therapy, such as painting, drawing and collage
- Strategy games, such as chess, checkers and Scrabble
- Jigsaw puzzles
- Physical activity, including outdoor walks, gardening or swimming
These activities are always more stimulating and engaging when your loved one is joined by another. Friends and family members can enjoy quality time with their loved ones, or a professional carer can encourage these activities during visits.
5. Setting Up Direct Debits
Most bills now use direct debit payments as the standard way of payment, but if your current suppliers don’t, you may find it beneficial to switch your loved one to those who do. For example, if they’re still using a prepay metre for gas and electricity, switching to a credit metre means their monthly bill can be taken automatically.
Several other payments can be paid with direct debit, including insurance, household bills, subscriptions and credit card bills. You can help your loved one set these up through online banking or by visiting your local branch together.
6. Online Shopping or Finding Dementia-friendly Stores
People in all stages of Alzheimer’s may find shopping more difficult than before their diagnosis, especially when their favourite shops aren’t doing enough to accommodate their needs.
Hardships may include:
- Navigating their way around the store or finding items they need
- Missing social cues from workers or other shoppers
- Feeling disorientated by bold patterns or bright lights
- Difficulty paying, such as counting money, forgetting their PIN or feeling rushed
- Feeling overwhelmed by background noise
Supermarkets like Sainsbury’s and Iceland have teamed up with The Alzheimer’s Society to make shopping easier for people with dementia. Read more in their dementia-friendly retail guide.
If your loved one is still concerned about shopping in person, online shopping is a great alternative that allows them to buy things and browse stores from the comfort of their own home. Many supermarkets include a feature that allows users to save their favourite items to make them easier to find for repeat purchases.
Caring for Loved Ones with Alzheimer’s Symptoms
When a loved one first shares their diagnosis, it may leave you feeling worried, scared, frustrated or guilty. You may find yourself in the role of primary carer, a rewarding yet challenging job. No matter how you feel about their diagnosis, it’s important to remember that your loved one’s feelings are most important.
Early-stage Alzheimer’s doesn’t always have an impact on independent living, so your primary role is to ensure that your loved one feels listened to, in control and content. Implementing strategies and routines to boost these feelings can help in the future as symptoms progress.
To be there for your loved one effectively, consider the following practical tips:
Ask Them How You Can Help
A common issue between family carers and loved ones is that the carer springs into action and takes over the individual with Alzheimer’s life. Early-stage symptoms aren’t often life-inhibiting yet, so there’s often no need to overwhelm your loved one with support.
Ask them what they require and respect their need for privacy and independence. Have an open discussion on what you can do without getting in the way, such as managing their appointments and restocking their medication boxes. As their needs change, they’ll be more likely to confide in you and ask for more help.
Prioritise Their Mental Health
Being told you have Alzheimer’s, even in its early stages, can negatively impact mental health. Depression is a common side effect of this diagnosis, so it’s important that you know the signs to look for.
A person with Alzheimer’s and depression may:
- Have trouble concentrating
- Withdraw from social activities and outings
- Experience sleep disturbances
- Lose their appetite
- Become more irritable or weepy
If you’re worried that your loved one is experiencing these symptoms, seek support from their doctor. They may recommend a range of treatments, from counselling and support groups to antidepressant medication.
Foster and Encourage Independence
Fostering independence is essential to helping your loved one feel in control of their life. While you might want to help in any way you can, it’s important to take a step back and assess a task before offering support. As long as there’s no risk to their safety, they may prefer you to offer gentle encouragement and wait for them to ask for help.
There are plenty of home aids that can foster independence. Look for helpful aids to make certain tasks easier for them to complete on their own in the future. For example, a shower chair, grab rails and a raised toilet seat can help your loved one use the bathroom safely without help.
Avoid Stressors
Certain everyday tasks can become more stressful than they were before their Alzheimer’s diagnosis. If they find activities like shopping, meeting friends and attending doctors’ appointments overwhelming, try and find alternatives to make them more comfortable.
Set up an online shopping account, drive them to and from appointments, and accompany them to their social activities to reduce exposure to stress. Help them pick up on social cues they might’ve missed.
How Trinity Homecare Can Help
At Trinity, we take pride in providing bespoke, comprehensive care to our clients. Our dementia care covers Alzheimer’s in its early, middle and late stages, so you can rest assured that your loved one is in expert hands. We’ll match your loved one with one of our fully trained, compassionate carers with experience in Alzheimer’s support.
The care we provide includes:
- One-to-one support at home
- Completely bespoke live-in care that has been tailored to you
- Specialist care for a number of different circumstances
- Home carers carefully matched to your needs
- CQC rated ‘Outstanding’ live-in care services
Our dementia care service is tailored to what we observe makes your loved one most comfortable and confident moving into the future. Whether you choose live-in or visiting care, our carers focus on personalised support that upholds dignity, independence and a sense of control.
Talk to Trinity Homecare Today
If your loved one requires home care, chat with one of our friendly care team today. We offer a free, no-obligation enquiry and assessment service and are happy to offer information and advice to help you find the perfect home care solution.
Call us on 0207 183 4884 in confidence for a free no obligation quotation. If enquiring outside of our opening hours, please complete our online form and we will contact you the next day.
