My 79 yr old aunt was going out food shopping with my cousin 2 weeks ago and she fell. He took her to urgent care where they detected a fracture is a vertebrae. He then took her to the hospital where she stayed for a week and her early stage dementia worsened dramatically. She is now in a nursing facility and her dementia is getting worse. If she is back at her house with 24/7 care, will her mind go back to where it was 2 weeks ago? She was dressing herself, putting on her makeup, bathing, eating, reading, talking on the phone up until 2 weeks ago when she was taken out of her house. Please advise if taking her home will help her.
Maybe, your aunt's POA can discuss some options for care with the Rehab people. They will likely release her only if she has proper care at home and it sounds like she would need 24/7 care, which is very costly.
Whoever is making decisions for her may request tests be made by the doctor, because without an MRI, they may not be able to know if she has had a stroke. There isn't always typical signs like weakness, numbness, etc. My LO's only symptom were poor balance, falls, memory loss and poor judgment. The Neurologist prescribed the MRI and it was then that they found multiple strokes.
I'd also keep in mind that her asking to go home may indicate a desire to go to another place in time and not necessarily her former residence.
You'll know that people with diabetes can become incredibly aggressive if their sugar gets too low? - it's fortunate this happens, in a way, because it's a signal that they're about to fall into a coma from which they will not wake up unless somebody gets some glucose into them. Similarly, other signs such as drowsiness and disorientation do happen with dementia but do also happen when something's off with your electrolyte balance(s).
Potassium and all the other trace elements (sodium, calcium, that lot) do all sorts of things (highly technical answer!). My totally amateur mental picture of it, so don't quote me, is that because many bodily functions are electrically based (heart, brain, neurons) they all make up part of the correct wiring matrix - which you don't want either blocked or short-circuited. Too much, too little, you get problems.
And with a bit of luck there'll be a chemist or medic on the site who can now give you the proper answer - or there's always dear old Auntie Wikipedia of course :)
After we had finished dinner the first night she kept saying that she had to go home. She was extremely confused and needed help getting dressed. My friend and I were able to convince her that we would take her home in a few days and that she should just enjoy herself. She finally settled down but when we got home she seemed far worse. Sometimes she doesn't know me and her days and nights are all mixed up.
I thought that maybe the trip triggered something in her brain and took her to the doctor because she kept saying that her underwear bothered her and I wanted to rule out a UTI. She didn't and the doctor (after reading all the notes I made) advised me that it's time to place her in a home.
Unfortunately, I doubt that taking your aunt home will help much, but I would definitely discuss this with her doctor.
Clearly this fall indicates that your aunt should no longer live alone and she may be happier there if help is possible. it is well known that dementia patients do better in familiar surroundings but if she is content where ever she is that will work as well. Unfortunately there is no clear answer to your question. It really depends on finances and your aunts reaction to her circumstances.
My LO was running her own household, paying bills, shopping, caring for pet, etc, but, she got a fractured wrist (we never figured out how. We suspect she fell.) and suddenly she was unable to manage her household. Bills unpaid, couldn't drive, couldn't work remote, couldn't make a sandwich, etc. She was in her own home. Later, MRI revealed multiple strokes. She never regained anything, but declined rapidly.
I'd discuss it with her doctor. They should be able to tell if she has a UTI, medication reaction, vitamin deficiency or hospital anxiety. I don't think that dementia is reversible, though there are good days and bad days with memory and abilities.
There are various opinions about where a person with dementia can receive the best care. 24/7 in the home is very expensive, but, if funds are available, that is an option. If she's currently in a good place, I'd evaluate it as an option or see where she may be best cared for. An assessment to determine what level of care she needs would be helpful.
Things you have to consider include:
1. What caused the fall? It's possible that some change in her condition led to the fall, rather than the fall and injury leading to the change in her condition.
2. What pain relief was given at the hospital and now at the facility? Some can cause side effects, especially in a person with existing health difficulties and/or prescribed medications.
3. What investigations are being done? Your cousin needs to emphasise to your aunt's doctors that this change is very marked and very abrupt. Sadly, it still could be the case that this is a step down in her dementia; but that doesn't mean it isn't worth ruling out reversible causes.
So before you urge your cousin to get your aunt discharged, it's important to get a clear understanding of what the likeliest cause/s of the deterioration are. I do hope you'll get some helpful answers, and that she will make a good recovery; but just taking her home and hoping she'll magically be herself again isn't likely to help her.