You might qualify for home health aides to assist … In the early stages of dying, the dying person may prefer only soft foods and liquids. This stage is called preclinical Alzheimer's disease, and it's usually identified only in research settings. Lewy body dementia, or LBD, is a common cause of dementia. I wish you all peace in your … The table below shows a patient’s average life expectancy by the stage of dementia. The ability to swallow becomes impaired. However, end-stage dementia may last from one to three years. The week before Thanksgiving, I spent several days in the hospital with my dying grandmother. As the disease advances, your loved one’s abilities become severely limited and their needs increase. Stage 4 - Moderate Cognitive Decline: People with dementia in stage 4 will have obvious difficulty with problem-solving, remembering names and details, and may withdraw socially as new situations and places are challenging to them. Death . Take care of yourself. The model is still shifting in considering end stage dementia an end of life condition; experts are … Home care and hospice agencies offer a variety of support services for families dealing with dementia. Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images . Patients in stage 5 need some assistance in order to carry out their daily lives. Of all of the stages of Alzheimer’s disease, late stage progressing into end stage Alzheimer’s and death may be the hardest to understand. This stage lasts an average of 2 years and cognitive issues can be detected during a medical interview and exam. On the physical plane, the body begins the final process of shutting down, which will end when all the physical systems cease to function. This stage usually occurs approximately 7 years before the onset of dementia. Every persons journey is different and unique but the destination is the same. The reason for this, explains Warchol, is cellular death in the area of the brain responsible for executive cognitive function, which is the area that is the last to develop and … End stage dementia care: What you need to know It can be traumatic to watch a loved one with dementia nearing the end of their life. Like Alzheimer disease, LBD causes intellectual and physical deterioration due to progressive damage of brain cells. A doctor will be able to diagnose dementia at this stage, … Although you won't notice any changes, new imaging … I wish I could have seen this hub sooner and passed it on to my family! By the very late stages of dementia, individuals lose mobility and spend most of their time either in a wheelchair or under bed rest. For example, in the early stages of dementia, people have memory problems, and in moderate stages, they might have difficulty with relating to other people, relationships, and perhaps their behavior and distress becomes an issue. As with other forms of dementia, vascular dementia shortens a person's life expectancy. Thank you for such a detailed, sensitiv and loving sharing of your mom‘s death. My parents were with her most of the time, but I still went to see her as often as possible. Stopping to rest is a necessity, not a luxury. Death, even if expected, is always full of pain, for those of us who are left to grieve. Jan. 10, 2008 -- The average survival time for people diagnosed with dementia is about four and a half years, new research shows. The end stage of dementia is the most difficult stage for those suffering from the disease, and also for family members, caregivers, and healthcare professionals. Dementia Stages Before Death . The stages below provide an overall idea of how abilities change once symptoms appear and should only be used as a general guide.