Alzheimer's is a progressive disease, the symptoms growing worse with time. Yet it is also a variable disease, effecting individuals at different rates and in different patterns. One patient may have problems associated with muscular coordination and another may show signs of memory loss earlier. There are many tools designed to assess the disease's progression of symptoms. However most people who work with patients and families think of the disease in three phases: mild, moderate, and severe. These divisions are approximate and may often overlap; if yourself or a loved one displays these signs contact your physician.