Hi everyone. I hope you all are going to enjoy some good times yet in this year.
Mom is in the Memory Nursing section of the Independent living community. She has been there for about 3 years now. Dad passed 4 years ago. She has been in her own room (it's a room with a small sofa bed and bedroom furniture but her own place). She has had the level of dementia where she would watch a movie but not remember what it was minutes later. She has been in good spirits through all this but short-term memory has been bad.
About two weeks ago she had an accident in bed. First one. I just learned that since then she now goes most nights and is now having these accidents during the day. They went into her room and she was sitting naked from the waist down. When I talked to her she said she didn't know if she took a shower or not. She says frequently that she has been gone for a year and finally back from hospice. She's very upset that her mother has not come to see her in hospice. The nurse also told me that she is talking about her parents a lot lately.
I mentioned to the nurse that I sense a significant decline in the last week. I just don't know if that is even possible with Dementia. She mentioned that she is not a doctor but she is seeing it as well.
Someone had Covid so now Mom is isolated in her room for two weeks. We can not see her at all. It's heartbreaking.
Can anyone tell me if they experienced these almost "overnight" changes?
Thank you for any input here.
Be and stay well all
Marie
It could mean that she's had a stroke, or, as is always said here, a UTI. Barring a UTI which is easily checked for, it could be that she had a stroke which happened with my mother but we didn't know it at the time. We found out the following year when she was hospitalized and a CT Scan and MRI were done. Not that there would have been any treatment undertaken for the stroke had we known about it.............but it did happen and it did contribute to her decline in mental cognitive ability.
As far as 'accidents' go, I assume you mean urinary incontinence? One day, my mother was fine, going to the toilet on her own, etc. The next day, we were riding in the elevator at her AL, and she said Oh I Have to Pee. Next thing we knew, she did, all over herself and the carpeted floor of the elevator. From that moment on, she started wearing Depends, day and night. So yeah, it happened overnight the change from being fully continent to being incontinent. She wets the bed (at night) at her ALF now several times a week.
Steps down, or declines, with dementia are to be expected. There are 7 stages of dementia, and here is a link which is helpful:
https://www.dementiacarecentral.com/aboutdementia/facts/stages/
Speaking of deceased loved ones is common too. My mother seems to dream of her mother quite often. At first, I thought maybe it was a sign that she was getting ready to pass away herself (which is sometimes common). But, since this has now been going on for a few years, that's not the case.
It's also common for dementia patients to remove their clothing, or actually defecate on the floor sometimes, thinking it's the toilet. When I worked in a Memory Care AL before the plague hit, I'd often find a resident with his or her pants off wandering the hall. Sometimes they'd leave a pile on the carpet, too, and I'd have to call a care giver. One time an old gal was pooping on the upholstered chair in the hallway, happy as can be, with a big smile on her face!
All bets are off with dementia. It's a sad and unfortunate progression they're on, our mothers, and it's hard for US to witness. I'll vouch for that myself. If your mother is basically happy, though, and in a pretty good mood, that's all that really counts, you know?
Wishing you the best of luck with a most difficult situation, and wishing your mother PEACE as she proceeds on her journey
Dementia in general is a decline. Sometimes, like with Alzheimer's, the decline is like walking down a ramp. Slow and steady, a gradual decline. Vascular dementia is like putting a landing then stairs at places on the ramp. You have a steady decline then all of a sudden there is what can be a drastic decline. (I am not familiar with other forms of dementia but most are in general steady declines)
I/my Husband experienced at least 8 or 9 of these drastic changes. One day he could or would do something literally the next day he could not.
The vascular dementia is caused by little mini strokes that will damage a part of the brain. It is possible that your mom is having some of these mini strokes and that is why she is having some of these overnight changes.
Sad to say it is all part of the disease there is nothing that can be done to prevent it.
If this is what is happening there is a possibility that your mom could have a stroke that will take her life rapidly rather than the slow, decline of Alzheimer's.
The only way to verify the mini strokes would be to have a scan done and I don't think it would be worth putting her through that. If it was something that could be changed or cured that would be different.
((hugs))
I even highlighted this episode in a book I wrote called "My Mother Has Alzheimer's and My Dog Has Tapeworms: A Caregiver's Tale." As the disease progressed, my mom also had the biological issues that you mentioned. The observation that things can change on a dime are right on "Target."
Perhaps when you buy your bra, your observers will give you a round of applause.
Your being able to see the humor amidst the difficulties must be a big help in retaining your sanity!!!
I pray that it is easily treatable and if it is her time, I pray that she has an easy passing.
Also, sometimes a person has experienced a small stroke - not enough to show up on a brain scan, but enough to impair their thinking or behavior.
Our ability to remain continent of urine and/or feces is dependent on the ability of the brain to send the appropriate "signals" to the bladder or bowel. If the part of the brain that controls these functions is affected, then incontinence can result.
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