My mother is confused all the time, what stage of Alzheimer's is she in?
Level of confusion and Alzheimer's stages can be difficult to discern. As you said, characteristics of stages may overlap. Even so, it can be helpful to frame the person's current level of functioning into one of the stages. It can give you information about how the person might function, areas they may need help with, and possible areas of risk (such as incontinence, feeding difficulty)to be aware of. From the description you provided, it sound like your mother is likely Stage 6. One defining factor in Stage 6 is incontinence of the bladder, which is followe by bowel incontinence. See this link to see descriptions of the stages: www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_stages_of_alzheimers.asp. Note that at the middle stages of dementia, the person is no longer able to make sound decisions for themself. You might consider consulting an elder law attorney to put documents into place allowing someone to be named as the person who can make decisions on her behalf. Good luck with these difficult times on the care journey.
