Hello,
Another new member here. I've logged onto TP and read the posts as a guest for over a year now (usually with tears streaming down my face as I can connect to so many of the emotional situations). My lovely mam has had vascular dementia for about 7 years and is in a nursing home - I feel like it's eventually robbed her of her character and gentle nature and I hate it for doing that. We've been through what I can only assume are vast and varied 'stages' of the disease over the years, but I've come to a really hard part. For the last few months she's been eating/drinking less and less after breakfast time. She'll usually have her porridge and tea without problem, but then pureed lunch will be either batted away or spat out, and she'll only have a small sip of liquid. Tea time is just the same, although thats when I spend 2 hours every night coaxing her to sip some 'Ensure' milkshake drink the doc has eventually agreed to. I've experienced sundowning with her, but this seems beyond her 'normal' winding down.
She's wasting away and I feel helpless. I keep wondering if this her way of trying to end it all? or just another stage of this cruel disease.
Thanks for listening
Katie xx
Another new member here. I've logged onto TP and read the posts as a guest for over a year now (usually with tears streaming down my face as I can connect to so many of the emotional situations). My lovely mam has had vascular dementia for about 7 years and is in a nursing home - I feel like it's eventually robbed her of her character and gentle nature and I hate it for doing that. We've been through what I can only assume are vast and varied 'stages' of the disease over the years, but I've come to a really hard part. For the last few months she's been eating/drinking less and less after breakfast time. She'll usually have her porridge and tea without problem, but then pureed lunch will be either batted away or spat out, and she'll only have a small sip of liquid. Tea time is just the same, although thats when I spend 2 hours every night coaxing her to sip some 'Ensure' milkshake drink the doc has eventually agreed to. I've experienced sundowning with her, but this seems beyond her 'normal' winding down.
She's wasting away and I feel helpless. I keep wondering if this her way of trying to end it all? or just another stage of this cruel disease.
Thanks for listening
Katie xx