ABSTRACT
Individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) retain certain cognitive abilities over
the course of the disease. In this article, we describe retained cognitive-linguistic
abilities and the status of activities of daily living (ADLs) of individuals in the
early, middle, and late stages of AD. Knowledge of preserved abilities in AD is necessary
for clinicians to structure communication-stimulation programs and to train caregivers
in the most effective ways to facilitate communication. Using the Global Deterioration
Scale (GDS) for staging severity of AD, an outline of preserved abilities by disease
stage is provided. Attention, memory, and communication abilities are discussed, and
samples of discourse from patients at different stages are included.
KEYWORD
Neuropsychology - Alzheimer's disease - cognition - language - activities of daily
living