My dad was diagnosed with Stage 1 Alzheimer's last month. And the other day I talked to him on the phone and he didn't know who I was, so I told him who I was. And u asked him the day and he was unaware of it. Then he told me about a fight (mind u never happened) he has fallen twice. Legs ankles and hands are swelling. Memory loss. Talking about my grandmother who has passed away. He is agitated. Please and thank you.
One set of stages has only three stages - early, mid and late. In that group, your father could be considered stage 1, early. The other has seven stages. In this group your father would be in stage 3, mild decline.
Check these websites for the details on each of the two different groups.
http://www.alzheimers.net and http://www.alz.org/
I use the seven stage behavior descriptions to help our caregivers and health care providers to know which behaviors my husband is presenting.
Focus on the behavior and solutions to help your father transition into that behavior.
To help your father identify you when you call on the phone there are a few options.
1) Have a recent and childhood photo (best if your father is in the photo). Put the photos near the phone. Put your name on a label for the photos. May be even a brief story. "Dad and I riding our bikes in 19xx along the lakefront". If the story connects with your father use it every time you talk with him.
2) Consider using a live stream video phone session (like Skype) so your father could see you while he is talking with you. This technology would require a computer, internet and someone at your father's location to assist with the call set up.