Mom has always been fastidious about washing her hands. Now she just stares at the running water when I turn on the faucet. I show her what to do by sticking my hands in there. She doesn't get it. She also doesn't understand how to brush her teeth anymore. And lastly, in the last couple of days, she doesn't get what a straw is for. She just chews on it instead of sucking. All this has happened over the course of a few weeks. The straw thing in the last couple of days. Last week she was using a straw perfectly.
Yet at the same time, she's now walking better than she has in a long time.
Is there anything to read from all this or is it just part of the wonderful mystery which is dementia?
This is why I suspected he also has Vascular Dementia as well as the diagnosed Alzheimer's. Often a doctor will diagnose Alzheimer's and do no further testing so I think may forms of dementia are misdiagnosed.
Little mini strokes can cause one to loose the ability to do something rapidly rather than the slower decline that Alzheimer's typically has.
Work with your mom re-teaching her things like hand washing she may not retain it or loose it again.
And it could also be the mystery of dementia...ya just never know! Every day can be a surprise.
My Husband was doing a lot of things that he should not have been able to do and lost the ability to do things he should have been able to so.