I came across to this website after I read the question by one member about missing person. In this site below, I found some useful info. about staging:
http://www.alzinfo.org/clinical-stages-of-alzheimers-disease.asp
According to my experience being with my father-in-law, the staging is tricky. Unless one lives with him everyday given this staging knowledge, he/she could underestimate or overestimate the staging of the loved one.
For example, it would be stage 5 for my FIL in 2007 although he could not take a shower indepedently - but he only forgot the steps. i.e., the abstract thinking was wrong. However, in 2009 this year, he began to show obviously that he cannot detect the temperature. One time the caregiver heated his lunch and it was ok to wait for it to cool down on his tray table. But he felt his finger tip was hot so he got up and put in the frig! Well, by putting it in the frig would beat the purpose that the caregiver used the microwave to heat it! So I took it out after my FIL walked back to his sofa madly, and left it on the dining table to cool down for a few minutes. Then I put it on his tray table. He still didn't believe it. He thought the way his finger tip feels is as same as how his tongue would feel. This shows that he is in stage 6b with the temperature problem. The caregivers now have to adjust the water temp. for him in the bath as well.
Anyway, the staging is loose and we need to be careful not to overestimate or underestimate it so we can take care of the patient accordingly.
Nina
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