I help take care of my mom who has Dementia. The signs have been there for a few years now, but things got really bad about a month ago with my mom seeing and hearing a lot of things that were not there pretty much everyday. This lasted several weeks and then almost all of it stopped for over two weeks. I'm not totally sure they stopped, but she seemed to be the mom I have always known for the most part. Then about a week ago it started again. She started seeing things, hearing things just as before. Is this common in people with Dementia? I cannot think of any changes in her lifestyle or health or the meds she has taken for years that would cause any changes. My question is "can people with Dementia seem to be stable or almost normal and then slip back into a state where everything seems unreal?"
Any thoughts? thank you
Been using small dose of Ativan for anxiety, and she read a children's book out loud better than I've heard her read in months. This after only a day on it. UTI or infection (like major cat scratch) have also caused plummets, only to improve when ABX used for a few days. Brain chemistry, so many variables.
The person with dementia is handicapped with an impairment but still deserving of every opportunity to be treated and spoken to as you normally would, with recent discoveries, what science now documents about about brain plasticity it is worth keeping them in the loop as possible. Takes work but is worth it.
First things first. Get him eligible for financial help for the NH, and address the other issues as time goes by.