How do I know if my Dad (82) with Parkinson's and dementia is in his last stages of life?

My late FIL was still driving when he had Parkinsonism, but he should not have been. He almost killed a man and his young son! The man knocked on my FIL's window and told him that when he had stopped for gas. He was so damn stubborn, though...didn't care!

When my wife was in the last stages of Parkinsonism, I discovered people like none I've ever encountered, wonderfully gifted, earthbound angels. They helped myself and the family to adjust to reality, gave us focus in our uncertainty, pain, and peace of mind. I pray the same blessings for you and your loved ones.

You are welcome! Hope it helps someone!

Sendme2help: Thanks for posting that helpful piece!

The Stages of Parkinson's Disease-Here on Aging Care
Parkinson's is a progressive disease, and symptoms worsen over time. This commonly used system describes the stages of Parkinson's and what symptoms to expect during each phase.
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Peruse all things Parkinsons, then come back here for support anytime, Charlee05, this is your question, and you are the OP, original poster.
Remember your original question so you can find your way back.
Bless you and your Dad, and your family.
..

I'm sorry to learn that your dad has Parkinson's.

Back to your original question. If he can walk, can feed himself, can talk clearly at times, and is semi-continent, he is, at worse, in phase six of the seven phase system deterioration scale. He is severe, but not very severe and not end stage. Being paranoid and wandering starts in moderate dementia. Enjoy him while you can. I think he is the moderate stage, and has many years ahead of him. The Docs can be clearer than I am, but the bottom line is that "every dementia sufferer us different".

My father in law fell with his Parkinsons and broke his hip. Unfortunately he was in wheelchair for the rest of his life but had to be put on feeding tube due to aspirating. My mom was on pureed foods and thickened liquids with her end stage dementia. One thing on my father in law.....before he fell he got dehydrated 2 times was out of his mind and also had UTI. We found him out in the parking lot one time trying to jump on cars to stop them because he thought they were doing something wrong. Your dad needs to be checked for dehydration and UTI. I also agree that hospice is a wonderful choice if he is indeed at that stage. Good Luck and God Bless

This feedback has all been very helpful for me. My mom is not as far along, but has been on thickened liquids for several months. I order them thru' amazonsmile (which allows a % of your purchase to go to the charity of your choice) and it's much easier for her to drink the pre-thickened ones than to use a thickener on your own. My mom has aspirated a couple of times, ending up with pneumonia. So you are right that it is very serious.

Hospice is the best thing that ever happened to me and helping with my mother in her last stages of dementia!

At the end of daddy's battle with Parkinson's, he could only take the smallest sips of liquids. He ate popsicles, and that's about it. When he stopped those..and began to sleep all the time, he only had a couple of weeks left..if that. Daddy was bedridden for the last few months, he did hallucinate a little, but he was, overall, very quiet and sweet. Hospice was called in to evaluate when he could no longer swallow comfortably and he was placed in Hospice care. Liquid morphine and topical Valium applied to his inner arms (skin is thin there) and we kept him comfortable and calm until he passed. Nobody should be forcing liquids or food on your FIL if he doesn't want them. The choking/aspirating problem is very real and scary. I know it's hard to "let go" but you have to put your own fears and wants behind and let the natural course of things take over. Not saying it's easy, it's not, but peace for the patient should be paramount.

Charlee05, My father-in-law, 85, is farther along on the same trip. Some tips:
To prevent aspiration of liquids, which can lead to pneumonia, don't let him drink with a straw. Get some of those cups for babies--Dad says they have a "tooth" on them to drink through--that keeps him from sucking in air with his drink.
See if his physician will refer him for hospice care. They will provide a walker, hospital bed, wheel chair, incontinence supplies, advice and support.
If he doesn't have a living will, health care POA, financial POA, etc., and is still mentally capable of agreeing to these,
get them done ASAP.
If he's still trying to drive, stop that. If you have to, just tell him it's only until he gets better.
Don't argue with him about the delusions if you can think of a way to "acknowledge and redirect." When Dad thought the police were coming to arrest him, his son just said, "Dad, it's taken care of. I know all those guys, I talked to them and explained everything, and they left and aren't coming back." We found it's simpler to not let him hear news reports or TV shows that suggest bad events, because he seems to think he is part of the story--hence, police after him.
Everyone is different. Dad was like yours for several months, has been housebound since May, and now is mostly in bed sleeping. Mother-in-law practically forces him to eat, which he doesn't want, and has, IMHO, probably just prolonged his suffering.
You need tons of patience and
help. Get it wherever you can.

I agree with Malachy2. As you know from many of my responses I am an Advocate for Hospice. I think it is not used enough and people do not take advantage of the great services that can be provided by Hospice.
Have your Dad evaluated they will determine if he is eligible and what the next course of action would be.
There are many "signs" that one is at end of life but how long it takes to get to the end point is different for everyone. My husband sleeps a lot, 18 to 20 hours a day, he no longer talks or walks but God bless him he will still feed himself.
The call to Hospice will be an easy one, they will evaluate your Dad and if he is determined to be eligible he will begin getting services right away. They will make sure he is comfortable and provide supplies you need.
Hospice does not "kill people". Hospice does not "drug people so they die faster". Hospice in some cases extends life as some people begin getting more personalized attention. Hospice is comfort focused, patient focused, family focused.

I agree, it is time for Hospice evaluation. Hospice is the best help for him...and for you. This is their specialty.
It was the best thing we ever did for my husband. For weeks, they were there to help the family understand what was going on each step of the way.
And help us to deal with the reality. Gave us confidence and peace even though it was sad. I wish the same for you. Malachy

Parkinson has different stages he stopped walking gave up too then it got hard to pick up fork spoon to eat his esophagus was making it hard for food to swallow it's called asperation they wanted him to have a feeding tube but he didn't want it so ate as much as he could mostly soft and his drinks had to be thickened even water cause it gets into the lungs causes bacteria pneumonia it's very sad I don't believe it was dementia it's the drugs side effects he knew what was happening to him.

The medicine the doctor gave my dad for parkinson has alot of side effects my dad never liked to take any of his meds they made him hallucinate and stop eating

Does he sleep a lot?

What does the Parkinson's specialist who is treating him think?

You might want to consider asking hospice to evaluate him.