Can someone please maybe tell me what stage my mil could be in?!? She has vascular dementia from stokes and diabetes. She goes through days were she is somewhat OK! She has to have a walker to get around can't walk falls a lot etc! She wants to eat all the time but only certain foods! The last few days have gotten stranger for her! Sunday as my husband and I were in bed the phone rings so I have to get up to find it, we'll I go in the kitchen and she is walking away from the stove. I see that she has vomited everywhere and was just gonna leave it there and not say anything!! The past few days she has stayed in her room hasn't eaten etc!! She has horrible bowel problems and is constantly having full blown accident wherever she is! She can't get to the bathroom in time she says but lately just nothing from her!! I'm not sure what is going on but she seems to get worse then better!! I'm not sure if what I am saying makes sense or if I'm explaining it well!! Monday she stayed in her room all day and when we get home to check on her she has fallen out of bed and is sound asleep with feces all over her! Her phone was within reaching distance to call for help yet she just doesn't bother and goes to sleep!! I'm terrified I will find her dead one day!! So with that being said she is 69 and was just diagnosed a little over a year ago! Can someone maybe give me some insight on the little information I have posted bc I would need a lot more space to type everything going on with her!! Thanks
Just because she may know how to dial one phone number on one day, doesn't mean she can dial other numbers on other days.
It sounds like she may have become incontinent. That also happens with dementia. My loved one may go if placed on the toilet, but she normally will go in her diapers as well. She can't walk, but can move her feet to propel herself in her wheelchair. She can chew her food, but can't cut her meat. She can read, but can't open a gift.
Your MIL may not even realize she's laying on the floor and not in her bed. She may not even be aware she's in feces. With dementia, you have to understand that the brain is not working properly. Just because she may have a few minutes of acting normal, doesn't mean her brain is working normally. She still must be supervised at all times and it would NOT include going near a stove. That is very dangerous, IMO. It's must like protecting a toddler, She can't be left to fend for herself.
Getting worse and then better is not unusual. One day my loved one seems very distant and is not very interested in seeing me and then the next visit she's more verbal and seems much improved.
If she's been diagnosed with dementia, it's not that "she can't be bothered to" it's that "she no longer knows how to". How to dial a phone was one of the first skills my mom lost, along with pushing the "help" button.