My twin sister has had mild dementia for a few years. Within a 2-3 week period she suffered a severe decline in her mental function. She is not able to process what she hears, she forgets what she wanted to say, some slurred speech, falling due to balance issues without dizziness or lightheadedness, some paranoia. She has congestive heart failure with her heart function now at 20%. Her doctor asked her to live with me, is making arrangements for a visiting nurse to do some evaluations, scheduling app'ts with both a neuropsychologist and a neurologist. He has asked me to take total control of her medications and she now has to use her wheelchair all the time. She also has lupus and fibromyalgia.
The recent cat scan showed no stroke, brain bleed or clot but did show full blockage of several vessels and partial blockage of others and shrinkage of brain matter. Is this common for a sudden decline? She is frustrated, afraid, and doesn't want to go into a nursing home. I am more than willing and able at this point to care for her.