Why is Mom still pacing, if she is at end stage?

Jeanne, Thank you for your words and Im sorry you are going thru this. Is your mom still eating? I gave the situation up to God and he is in charge. I try to remember that when Im down. My mom did not show signs of dementia until the age of 80, so for that I am thankful. She is now 84 and has lived a good life. No matter how old they are you are never ready to let them go, but it is a part of life.

Hugs to you, Sujean.

One of the most poignant things I heard in my caregiver support group was of a woman with dementia saying, "I miss me." She had Lewy Body Dementia which is characterized by great fluctuations in cognition. In a moment of good cognition she recognized how much of her self was no longer functioning. Not only did her family miss her but she missed herself, too.

WIth dementia we lose our loved ones one memory at a time, one function at a time. We grieve for months -- maybe years -- before they die.

Be gentle with yourself, Sujean. Make the best decisions you can, in love. And whatever the outcome don't beat yourself up from not making a different decision. Our best is all any of us can do.

My mother is in a nursing home, on hospice, with dementia. I join you in saying, "Oh, mommy I miss you!"

I visited mom today. She drank 12oz. of gatorade in a 45 minutes time for me. She kept saying she wanted water. When I gave her the gatorade she would guzzle a little at a time. They said, that she drank 6oz. of apple juice for the pt person. She is not wanting to eat. I made her a picnic again of foods she use to like. Still would only take a bite and not interested in eating. Some of her blood work was better then 3 days ago. My mom use to wave at magazine people she saw at the store. She loved to wave at Sanders on the KFC sign. She still likes to wave at people on tv. Since she is not interested in food, that can not be a good thing. They feed her the nursing home ensure drinks and she does get those down. She has that blank look in her eyes that looks right through you. I asked her if she knew who Nyla was? She said thats my sister. Which is exactly right. She has some moments but mostly not with it. Its hard to say what quality of life is, I suppose it is different for everyone. Just pacing around doesn't seem to me to be a very good quality of life. She can't have a real conversation with anyone, or even interact with anyone. Oh, mommy I miss you!

Dosnt sound to me at all like last stage but then my neighbours dad has als for ten years now and hes still mobile at 88 but his memory has completly gone he is in a NH the last two years and his doc say he is in good physical health! You see the brain can deteriorate but if they are no other serious health issues then they can live like this for years. Mum has vascular,diabetes,HBP and high cholesterol so she will not last for that long. I think she must have had an infection or something theres days when mum eats like a horse others when she wont eat. I guess this affects different people but i think other serious med conditions will make them deteriorate faster.

Hugs as this is all ahead of us.

Su-
The waving? My Mom wherever we go, waves at everyone she sees, in passing cars, you name it. I hope one day being friendly she does not wave at the wrong person! This is normal behavior for maybe a 3 or 4 year old? Maybe that is one way to determine stage of the disease? Just guessing.

Not totally incontinent. Says she has to pee and then sits and goes. Can still talk. I showed her some money in my new billfold and said what she usually would same. How about some for me. She was watching tv and waving at the man. like she always did. She might have just been sick, she was sleepy last week. She is very strong in her muscles the doctors say. She was a walker of 1-2 miles in her 70s. She is a fighter thats for sure.

She doesn't seem to fit the mould very well.

How is she on the items on the list above other than mobility?

She was pacing at home here before I placed her in the nursing home 7 weeks ago. She is also taking Zyprexa and I don't know if that helps with anxiety or sometimes it increases the pacing. You would think that if you are still so mobile that your brain is working and not shutting down. I haven't heard the doctor say she is in end stage, but because not eating and not drinking it is possible. So hard to know. Her vitals are still good and kidneys still working, just worried about dehydration.

Hi Sujean. You are in a most difficult situation. ((((((hugs))))) I found this, written by Paula Spencer Scott, author of Surviving Alzheimer's

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When a person with Alzheimer's disease reaches the final stage, he usually displays the following physical and cognitive signs:

Unable to walk even with assistance
Requires total care with bathing, dressing, and grooming
Verbal skills are limited; the person may just be able to say a few words but is unable to have meaningful communication
May not recognize familiar faces
Incontinent of bowel and bladder
Poor appetite, needs cueing at meals or needs to be fed

It's important to remember that each person is an individual and may not experience all of these symptoms. However, these are the most frequent signs that a person is in an advanced or the final stage of a dementing illness.
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Hope this helps. My heart goes out to you.

The disease manifests itself differently in different people. I've read here that some experience high levels of lucidity before death, that seems unbelievable. Once you know someone with AD you know someone with AD. It depends on the areas of the brain that are effected, I would think. I imagine some remain quite mobile.

id say possibly terminal restlessness . my mom paced for a couple of days , i figured looking for the most comfortable place to rest but that wasnt necessarily the case . the restlessness turned to terminal agitation and she was sedated not to wake up again .