He is so weak from lack of any stimulation. He is totally withdrawn, and says all he wants to do is die. He does not partake of any activities at all. Doesn't watch TV or read the paper anymore. Says he is just not interested in doing anything. He is on antidepressants, but obviously they aren't working. His appetite is good. Can he survive like this, or is he just wasting away?
Also, does he remember saying things? Maybe, he repeats things, because he doesn't recall that he has said it before. So, when he says he just wants to die, he may think that's the first time he told you that.
Also, I would imagine that if you have lost your ability to focus and understand things on tv, it wouldn't hold much interest.
My cousin, who has Vascular dementia, used to be the biggest tv fan around. Yet, she started to lose interest in it with her dementia. I would ask her questions about shows and she would say that she couldn't understand what was happening in the story. All she could get was that the actor was sad or upset. She didn't know why. This bothered her and she stopped watching anything except for sports and the news. Then, she stopped being able to focus on those things and she no longer has any interest in a tv at all.
I wonder if the reason there is no interest to do activities is due to the inability to do things. What about petting a pet or listening to their favorite music from long ago? I'd just experiment with different things to see if anything might get his attention.
You might also discuss medication adjustment with his doctor. Some meds don't work for everyone.
Is he sleeping in his chair or going back to bed?
It is awful for you to have to hear him say that he wants to die. But, although I know this sounds like a weird question, would you say he is actually unhappy or more just terribly tired?