Follow
Share
This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
Find Care & Housing
There's nothing "normal" about dementia, so really nothing should surprise you at this point and going forward. While there are a lot of similarities with many of the dementias, no 2 cases are or ever will be alike.
You will do best to just meet this person wherever they are, and don't try to bring them into your world, as that will just cause you(and them)more frustration.
I wish you well.
Helpful Answer (2)
Report
John02 Jul 2022
Thank you for responding but this is completely new. My Mom who is being asked about here went into the hospital in Aug. of last year with an infection and is now not the same as she was before she went in. The behaviour is not who she was this is all new. She was "given" the diagnosis of dementia in Dec. of last year with no history of dementia before the infection.
(1)
Report
John, I would have Mom given a good physical. There are other factors that cause Dementia like symptoms. Her numbers need to be checked. Low Potassium, dehydration, undiagnosed diabetes, Thyroid, kidney failure and heart desease are just a few things that can cause Dementia like symptoms. Low B12 too. If they find nothing in her labs, then u need to take her to a neurologist for further testing.

And yes, with Dementia she could think she has 2 children with the same name. Maybe its a younger John and an older John. Please don't try to figure it out.
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

Hi John! I’ve just answered another poster whose mother deteriorated in hospital. The post was called “Can you get dementia from a hospital stay?”. My answer was “My first MIL aged 93 did exactly the same thing. She went into hospital, found it very upsetting, and was never the same afterwards. She lived to 99, and recovered a fair bit, but never to her pre-hospital state. I don’t think anyone did anything wrong, it was just too different, too threatening, too much unpleasant change for her settled way of living. Clearly she didn't 'catch it' in hospital”.

Replies have suggested that it should be labelled ‘delirium’ rather than ‘dementia’, but labels may not help much. Other comments in the past have been that people may have had dementia earlier, but a stable life and helpful carers mean that it has not been noticeable. An infection, a small stroke, or just the hospital stay, can tip the balance, so that the dementia seems to have suddenly shown as a major new problem.

And yes the other answers are right – once dementia starts, all bets are off about what happens. For example, your mother might be remembering you as a child or a young man, and see you at your current age as a different person. ‘Home’ can be to them their childhood home, not their home for the last 40 years. ‘You can’t be my daughter, she’s just a young girl’ is common. Be glad if she can remember your name!

If this is all ‘completely new’ for you, use the good resources on this site to learn more. Click on Care Topics at the top of the screen, then click on D for Dementia, and look at lots of articles and past posts. Others will refer you to videos and books that can bring you up to speed. Best wishes, and commiserations, Margaret
Helpful Answer (0)
Report

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
Ask a Question
Subscribe to
Our Newsletter