My name is Lesley

[lesley7]

I have been living with my mum who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's aged 81. She is now 87 and showing signs of deterioration in her memory. She is on tablets and seems to have been ok - but the last two weeks it is like a switch has been turned on and she has completely changed. I need some advice if other people have experienced this deterioration so quickly and could it be because her routine was changed that week. She had antibiotics incase it was an infection. She is spending more time in bed and does not want to engage in anything, is this common?

 

[northumbrian_k]

Hi @lesley7 and welcome to Dementia Support Forum our friendly and helpful community of people who have experience of many aspects of dementia. I am sorry to hear about your mum. Alzheimer's Disease manifests and progresses differently in different people, so what may happen slowly for some may be quicker in others. The key point is that it is progressive, taking the person away bit by bit. From my wife's experience, I would say that lack of motivation and engagement and generalised apathy are only to be expected. Equally, it might be a good idea to rule out other possible causes eg urinary tract infection that may be contributing to the changes that you have noted.

 

[lesley7]

Thanks for your reply. It's heartbreaking seeing the person you love changing so much. 💔

 

[canary]

If there is a sudden change in dementia symptoms it is always a good idea to check for an infection, so I would get her rechecked for an infection just in case the antibiotics haven't cleared it

 

[lesley7]

If there is a sudden change in dementia symptoms it is always a good idea to check for an infection, so I would get her rechecked for an infection just in case the antibiotics haven't cleared it

thank you - I will get the GP to check her again - it has given us an insight to what we are going face and it has given me and my brother a reality check - we were dealing with the diagnosis and this has made us sit up and start making difficult decisions we did not think we would be making just yet. We have been lucky up to now that she has kept relatively healthy and well. At least it has got the ball rolling incase we need carer's or day centre's in the future