The journey of Dementia is challenging for both the person with the illness and the caregiver. Having a great understanding of your loved one’s dementia stage can significantly ease the burden of providing the proper care and support.
But how will the stage of Dementia affecting your loved one be diagnosed?
The Functional Assessment Staging Test is an essential test for the assessment of functional abilities and temporal deterioration in dementia patients. This tool divides Dementia into various stages. Finding your loved one’s dementia overall score on the FAST scale will help the caregivers provide the best care and support.
Let’s dive deep into this blog and explore more about FAST Scale in depth!
What is the FAST Scale?
FAST Scale primarily addresses the issue of assessing the development of Dementia. It categorizes Dementia into seven stages, which range from very mild to severe. Each stage describes the individual’s abilities and needs individually. This helps caregivers and healthcare providers understand at which stage the person with Dementia is in their journey. Moreover, every stage, from initial to last-stage dementia, requires different care for patients.
Stage 1: No Core Impairment
Everything seems normal in the initial stage, as there are no signs of Dementia symptoms. The person functions just like a normal person. However, they may sometimes experience occasional memory lapses.
Stage 2: Very Mild Cognitive Decline
In the second stage, small changes may begin to appear in individuals with Dementia. The person starts forgetting things more often, like keys and other things. These issues may be minor and don’t affect daily life significantly.
Stage 3: Mild Cognitive Decline
In this stage, the decline becomes more noticeable in individuals who have Dementia. The person struggles with tasks that used to be easy in the earlier days. Moreover, they may have gaps in memory or be unable to find the right words following the conversations. In this stage, others start witnessing a cognitive decline in individuals with Dementia.
Stage 4: Moderate Cognitive Decline
In stage 4, an individual might have difficulty doing complex tasks, such as managing finances or planning events. Individuals may require help to keep track of their medications and do daily chores.
Stage 5: Moderately Severe Cognitive Decline
The person requires help with doing everyday activities like dressing or bathing. They may need assistance and guidance to perform everyday activities.
Stage 6: Severe Cognitive Decline
In stage 6, severe impairment is seen in the individuals with Dementia. They cannot communicate and have trouble understanding or responding to simple questions like remembering their names. However, they may also face mobility issues, making walking or moving more challenging.
Stage 7: Very Severe Cognitive Decline
In the final stage, an individual has advanced Dementia symptoms. They struggle with movement and lose the ability to sit up or hold their head up. So, they require specialized memory care and assistance to cover every aspect of daily life. You can check out the blog to explore different memory care options for your loved ones, such as in-home or assisted living.
Why Use the FAST Scale?
Healthcare professionals use the FAST Scale to get insights into the progression of Dementia stages. Moreover, it is used for:
- Planning Right Care: Each dementia stage requires a specialized caregiving plan to meet the patient’s requirements. The FAST Scale enables professionals to analyze your loved one’s dementia stage to offer the best caregiver plan.
- Preparing for Future Needs: The FAST scale sets a roadmap to help families prepare for future needs as the condition progresses. The families can understand what they must go through with each stage progression.
- Providing Right Resources: The FAST scale provides insight into the stage of Dementia your loved one is facing. Once aware of the specific stage of Dementia that your loved one faces, you can make informed decisions regarding the provision of appropriate care services.
- Emotional Support: Full information concerning the stage of Dementia facing a loved one can help families and caregivers understand how many challenges may lie ahead, give them direction, and help them seek emotional support.
Essential Tips for Caregivers: Navigating Dementia with the FAST Scale
Caring for a loved one with Dementia can make a significant difference in managing their journey using the FAST scale. The Functional Assessment Staging Test breaks Dementia into different stages and helps caregivers navigate the complexities of dementia care. Here are some of the tips caregivers should follow:
- Stay Informed: You should educate yourself about Dementia and the FAST Scale to understand the disease and how to provide better care to your loved ones.
- Seek Support From Health Professionals: Caregiving is demanding and requires resilience and patience to address various sufferer’s needs. You should reach out to healthcare professionals for extensive support like medical care and financial planning.
- Plan Ahead: You should recognize the patient’s future needs and plan everything to provide your loved ones with the best care and daily activities.
- Better Quality of Life: As the disease progresses, you need to ensure that you offer your loved ones the best quality of life. Therefore, provide activities that make you and your loved ones feel good and happy.
- Practice patience and compassion: Challenges brought by Dementia might be frustrating and may affect both the caregivers and the one experiencing its symptoms. You should be patient enough to support your loved ones in the progression of the disease.
Wrapping Up
Assessing the progression of Dementia has become easy now with the FAST Scale. The tool provides a structured way to assess dementia stages. It allows caregivers to adopt an approach that provides the best care to individuals with Dementia. Therefore, caregivers will navigate the Dementia journey with greater awareness.
If you have any queries, you can get in touch with us for more details regarding the Dementia care plans for your loved ones!
