Common difficulties include: Middle-stage Alzheimer’s is typically the longest stage and can last for many years. As the disease progresses, the person with Alzheimer’s will require a greater level of care. You may notice the person with Alzheimer’s confusing words, getting frustrated or angry, or acting in unexpected ways, such as refusing to bathe. Damage to nerve cells in the brain can make it difficult to express thoughts and perform routine tasks. Personality and behavioral changes, including suspiciousness and delusions or compulsive, repetitive behavior like hand wringing or tissue shredding. Six out of 10 people with Alzheimer’s will wander and become lost. People can wander or become confused about their location at any stage of the disease. If not found within 24 hours, up to half of those who get lost risk serious injury or death. response service that provides assistance when a person with dementia becomes lost or has a medical emergency.In the final stage of the disease, individuals lose the ability to respond to their environment, carry on a conversation and, eventually, control movement. They may still say words or phrases, but communicating pain becomes difficult. As memory and cognitive skills worsen, significant personality changes may occur and extensive help with daily activities may be required. Currently, there is no cure for Alzheimer’s and no way to stop the underlying death of brain cells. But drugs and non-drug treatments may help with both cognitive and behavioral symptoms. Three types of drugs are currently approved by the FDA to treat cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. The first, cholinesterase (KOH-luh-NES-ter-ays) inhibitors, prevents the breakdown of acetylcholine (a-SEA-til-KOH-lean), a chemical messenger important for memory and learning. By keeping levels of acetylcholine high, these drugs support communication among nerve cells. Three cholinesterase inhibitors are commonly prescribed: Donepezil (Aricept®), approved in 1996 to treat mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s and in 2006 for the severe stage. Rivastigmine (Exelon®), approved in 2000 for mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s. Galantamine (Razadyne®), approved in 2001 for mild-to-moderate stages. The second type of drug works by regulating the activity of glutamate, a different messenger chemical involved in information processing: Memantine (Namenda®), approved in 2003 for moderate-to-severe stages, is the only drug in this class currently available. The third type is a combination of cholinesterase inhibitor and a glutamate regulator: Donepezil and memantine (Namzaric®), approved in 2014 for moderate-to-severe stages. The effectiveness of these treatments varies from person to person. While they may temporarily help symptoms, they do not slow or stop the brain changes that cause Alzheimer’s to become more severe over time. Many find behavioral changes, like anxiety, agitation, aggression and sleep disturbances, to be the most challenging and distressing effect of Alzheimer’s disease. These changes can greatly impact the quality of life for individuals. As with cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer’s, the chief underlying cause of behavioral and psychiatric symptoms is the progressive damage to brain cells. Other possible causes of behavioral symptoms include: Side effects from prescription medications may be at work. Drug interactions may occur when taking multiple medications for several conditions. Symptoms of infection or illness, which may be treatable, can affect behavior. Pneumonia or urinary tract infections can bring discomfort.