Both my parents have Alzheimer's but my dad also has Parkinson. My mom for the past 2 weeks has been alot more forgetful than usual and now for the past 2 days she is sleeping constantly and i mean she does not even want to get up. I gave her a cookie and she was eating it with her eyes closed. The doctor tells me its just her Alzheimer. I don't get it can it be from one day to the next getting worst.
The most common cause of delirium in a person with dementia or an elderly person is a urinary tract infection (UTI). Delirium is dangerous for a person with dementia as a UTI can be fatal for a person with late stage dementia. People with delirium need to be seen by a physician or in the ER immediately. If your mother was in a community, the nursing staff would immediately request a urine sample and additional lab work to find the source of the infection and begin treatment.
catchlab - I am in no way saying it is not stressful to lose a parent, it is, and moreso, if caregiving has been involved. Cognitive impairment can be considered normal, I believe, after any loss. I understand you being worried with Alz in your family. The best thing you can do is as I suggested to jeanne - look after yourself, eat sensibly, get enough rest/sleep etc.
Anyone may find him/herself "seeing" a loved on in a crowd, momentarily disbelieving that they have gone, and similar experiences, and you can think that you are going a little crazy. All of that is normal in grief. It takes a while for our brains to adjust to the loss. I had a strange experience shortly after losing a friend. Walking down the hallways at work, they seemed to "bulge" in and out. I have found that others have weird sensory experiences too, after loss. Again, it is normal.
To anyone grieving, taking a break from grief, when you can, is a good thing. Listen to your favourite music, do something that uplifts you. People can feel guilty about enjoying themselves after they have lost someone, Again that is normal.
There seem to be certain times when the grief really hits us. The first stage is the "numb" stage which can last several months, it varies with individuals, and although you feel the pain, the body protects you to some extent. After that the pain comes on in full force, and needs to be felt, and expressed. I found after losing my son, Gordie, that at three months the pain came on. Six months was bad too, and nine months particularly bad, and I have observed that in others. Then one year and so on. Of course, any special days, birthdays, holidays etc are harder too. It helps to plan something for those days, which include the loved lost one on some way. Things like burnng a special candle, playing special music etc.
Newer research in grief talks about the changed, but continuing relationsship with the lost one. The older model had people "getting over" the loss and moving on. I am more comfortable with the newer model, which includes moving forward, or through the loss, but not expecting those left behind to completely "get over" the loss. Klass et al.’s Continuing Bonds: New Understandings of Grief (1996) talks about "an ongoing inner relationship with the deceased person by the bereaved individual".
(((((((hugs))))) to all who have lost a loved one. Joan
Yes, dementia can progress suddenly. (Some kinds of dementia are more subject to this than others.) And any kind of virus or physical ailment can make the dementia symptoms much worse.
I wonder if it is time to have a hospice evaluation for your mother?
The fact that your mother is on hospice is an indicator that she is in the final stage of her dementia (at least as well as the medical profession can tell that). Sleeping all day can be a sign that the end is near. For some of the symptoms to be getting worse (such as memory problems) is also consistent with an end-of-life scenario. This is something that the hospice nurse can help you evaluate and understand.
Do your best. Try to be at peace with that.
I too am confident that I will get back to "normal," and I am being patient.
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