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Figure II                 Stages of Deterioration ©

Dr. Barry Reisberg 

Stage I.       Forgetfulness Stage:

Only apparent to client or possibly family

Financial matters once handled well, no longer

Covers up

Denial

Changes in social behavior

Stage II.     Confusional Stage

Definite impairment

Severe Forgetfulness

Orientation impaired

Concentration impaired

Rambling speech

Past memories fairly intact

Moodiness

Less awareness

More problems with learning new material

Flattening of affect

Takes less part in activities

Activity level will do nothing to defend against the deterioration.

Stage III.     Demential Stage

Severely disoriented

Severely confused

Hallucinations Paranoid ideation

Agitation

Wandering needs total supervision

Judgment is severely impaired

Incontinence

Swallowing difficulties

Motor problems

Visual spatial problems severe in nature

Infectious diseases.

Reisberg, B., Ferris, S. H., deLeon, M. J., & Crook, T. The Global Deterioration Scale for Assessment of Primary Degenerative Dementia. Am. J. Psychiatry. 1982; 139: 1136-1139

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