Have any of you witnessed an experience of lucidity for a brief period in the person with dementia you are caring for?

Question

My wife has severe dementia and was admitted to the hospital for stroke symptoms. A near-stroke was confirmed, but IV antibiotics resulted in a fast cognitive improvement within 12 hours. When she returned home the next evening, she exhibited what's called "paradoxical lucidity" (PL) for a period of two days. She was able to laugh and communicate as if she had returned to her normal self. I had not heard of this phenomenon until I read this article, “It’s You”: Caregiver and Clinician Perspectives on Lucidity in People Living With Dementia. There are many online articles about paradoxical lucidity, including some that give me hope that, now or eventually, there may be therapeutic methods to generate lucid episodes in patients with dementia. The "Conclusion" of this article alludes to that: https://alz-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1016/j.jalz.2019.04.002. Here's another: Paradoxical lucidity: A potential paradigm shift for the neurobiology and treatment of severe dementias.

Catskie62 · Accepted Answer

I need to read those articles. Thanks for sharing

Anabanana · Answer

Sadinroanokeva, I have often wondered if my mother has Lewy Body dementia (she fought early testing, certain she was fine and the rest of us were gaslighting her, hiding her stuff and changing things) because, from what I’ve read, it describes her best. The extremes are incredible! Even the staff at her care home is bewildered. One never knows what to expect.

Sadinroanokeva · Answer

Lewy Body Dementia is exactly that.. Extreme ups and down in lucidity even within an hour conversation.

Anabanana · Answer

We have experienced this with my mother (through mid to late stage dementia, age 94-98) several times. She’s always been difficult and her isolated, inexplicable days of PL made us question so much about her condition. Curiously, one lucid afternoon, she sat us down to discuss future care as she was concerned that her ‘memory wasn’t as sharp as it used to be’. She acknowledged her age, explained her choice of care home (hours from here, but in a town where she had family and friends), knew her investments and pension, and was thorough and thoughtful. The next day she was back to raging that I’d made her old, I’d lost all her money and she wanted me to drive her to her parents’ house because she was sick and tired of staying in the hotel room that was, in fact, her house of over 15 years.

It is fascinating! If only these episodes could be triggered for study.

Geaton777 · Answer

In most of the anectdotal cases, the PL occured 1-2 days prior to death. This is something very hard to study scientifically, since the incidences happen unexpectedly, and "lucidity" can be considered an opinion that has no way to be accurately measured in order to create a standard scale.

I have read of many instances of PL experienced by participants on this forum. It is an interesting phenomenon. Thanks for posting the article.

Have any of you witnessed an experience of lucidity for a brief period in the person with dementia you are caring for?

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