Is it normal for somebody with dementia to have very clearheaded days?

My mother has advanced dementia.

Bedridden, cannot read, barely moves a muscle, incontinent, thinks she’s 20 or in her 40s, thinks she’s a student or teacher, claims she’s never heard of family members who send her cards, and asks for her parents. Swears I am not her daughter.

Yet she is incredibly articulate, having lost no verbal skills.

A few times a year the staff catches her trying to climb out of bed. She’s been found in the chair in her room. Once this happened, PT was brought in to encourage her. She told them off and stopped moving again for months.

I never know what to expect when I visit. Maybe 90% of the time she thinks I’m just a friendly stranger. But when she does recognize me, she leans in, locks eyes and rages at me. I flash right back to being a little kid. It’s truly shocking. Fortunately staff and my husband have witnessed it. I want to run out the door and never return. I would have to call that “lucid” because she recognizes me, knows she’s old and yells at me for the usual stuff.

Dementia is BAFFLING!

My mother had lewy body dementia. At one point, in the nursing home, she turned to me and in an unusually clear voice asked me if she had had a stroke and if that was why she was there. I was shocked. I simply said yes and she seemed to slip back into that far away look with a weak and rambling nonsensical voice. A few years later, my wife developed early onset Alzheimers. When her aphasia became bad, she reverted back to speaking in her native German and even then it was just mostly gibberish. One day, she turned to me and in quite clear English told me not to feel sorry for her. I tried to hide my surprise and tears as I assured her I would not.

Totally normal. I went through that phase with my husband. Now there's days I can't make any sense of what he's saying. My daughter and I just look at each other, shrug our shoulders, and go on with what we were doing.

Each day is a new day, new experiences, and the unknown.

You're not going to change anything that's happened in the past, what's happening now, and what's going to happen tomorrow.

You're dealing with a disease that has turned someone you loved into someone else. It's difficult from day to day wondering when it's going to end, if it ever does.

CoolBaptist, we all feel for you! DrosieD is right on. The clarity comes and sadly, goes! This is year six with my wife, 91yo. 4 yrs ago she forgot who I was. You learn to just roll with the reality of the moment no matter how painful. My worst moments are when she has a husband bashing day. She tells me how horrible 'Wes' is; not realizing I'm right there everyday with her! Last Dec, my wife 'plateaued' for 2 weeks. She was clear headed, sweet, and a sheer pleasure again. She knew I was a 'special friend' that she loves but not her husband. Then, she was gone again with her paranoia and short-temper. Just last month, she 'came back' to me for a short couple of days. It was wonderful being called Wes and Sweetheart again; but it disappeared with the next nap. It's an emotional roller-coaster for sure. Just like the roller-coaster, enjoy the fast and exciting times he DOES returns, and look forward to the next one while going uphill.

The simple answer to your question is...yes, someone with dementia can have more clear headed days than others.
Enjoy those days while they last as there will come a day when he will be too far along in his dementia and will no longer be "his old self."

Yes...They are referred to as "windows". xoxo

It's a roller coaster ride! You just have to go with the flow. It's more like good moments and bad moments with my mom. Never know what you're going to get. But the more lucid times decrease and the "crazy" times increase.

Enjoy him where he is, with you in the here and now today or with you 30 years ago tomorrow. Sometimes you can learn family history you didn’t know on those days he’s in a different time but in my experience it’s all “normal” and nothing is normal all at the same time!

Absolutely…..every person is different. My Mom goes in cycles. However the lows are getting lower and the highs are not as high anymore.

My grandma had what she called her "dummy days." She wouldn't know me, would say mean words. The next day she would be nearly normal and would apologize for her dummy day the day before. I find it sad that she knew the next day that the day before had been a dummy day.