Do people with Parkinson's Disease eventually get dementia?

My husband was diagnosed with PD 12 yrs ago and has recently begun showing signs of dementia.

My husband has PD for the past 10 years and he is starting to show signs of dementia. My Uncle passed away a month ago, he also had PD for 10 yrs and dementia.

My dad had Parkinson's for years. Diagnosed at around 75. The dementia did not set in till he was in upper 80's.. Which I guess could have happened anyways!

My Mom was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2009. For the next 3 years that she was alive, she had days that she seemed completely with it and days that she had serious problems with her memory. From what I understand, that's what happens with Lewy Body Dementia.

My 70 year-old cousin living in NH, has had Parkinson's Disease for about twelve years. No sign of dementia yet. He loves life. His young age is a big help ( so far). The drug that he is on has stopped the shakes, but does nothing else.

My mom has suffered from Parkinson's disease for several years. At first, it was just the inability to walk without pain and freezing, The dementia came later and it was horrible; delusions, accusations, fear, all with the ability to seem almost normal when visiting the doctor. After being diagnosed and placed on Exceleon and other meds, minus the Parkinson's meds as they didn't help her physical problems and seemed to increase the dementia, she is generally doing well these days. There are days when she suffers depression, but as long as she gets lots of attention, she is doing much better at age 82.
Talk honestly and openly with your medical team. Don't back down and keep pressing until you find the meds and psychiatric approach that works best for your loved one.

Many Parkinson's patients do develop dementia. (I've read about 40%). PD patients have a protein deposit in the brain called Lewy Bodies (after the doctor who discovered them.) These deposits can cause Parkinson symptoms and/or dementia symptoms. The naming conventions are kind of weird. If the Parkinson symptoms come first, followed by dementia symptoms, the disease is called Parkinson's Disease Dementia (PDD). If the dementia symptoms come first and then some Parkinson's symptoms appear, the disease is called Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB). Together the two variations are called Lewy Body Dementia.

What does your mom's doctor say about the new symptoms, gropup?

The Lewy Body Dementia Association has an extremely informative website that will help you understand these diseases, the symptoms, the treatment plans, the prognosis, etc. If your mother does have PDD, you should know, for example, that the dementia is different in many ways from Alzheimer's.

Good luck! Come back and post as things develop with your mom. There is a lot of knowledge and experience on here in dealing with the Lewy Body diseases.

My 86 y/o MIL has had mild Parkinson's Disease for about 4 years. This past year, she ended up in the hospital with severe hallucinations and the doctors diagnosed her as having Parkinson's Disease Dementia.She started on the Exelon patch in April 2012 and it seems like it is helping her. To answer your question, I do thinkmany Parkinson's patients end up with Dementia or as they say PDD. Good luck to you.

My dad has Parkinson's and he also has dementia. His doctor said that dementia often affects people with Parkinsons. Makes an already challenging situation much harder.