Hi everyone - I'm new to the forum and wondering if anyone has any experience of the impact of a fall. My mum fell on Saturday night and has broken her pubic bone so is in a lot of pain but we think may also have banged her head. She's had a CT scan which shows no bleeding. But when I saw her yesterday she's in a really bad way. She was agitated and not making much sense at all. Calling out and wanting me to do things for her but I didn't understand what she wanted. Basically, I'm thinking she's probably behaving how she will when her Alzheimer's is more advanced. She's currently early to mid stage and had been doing ok and not too confused except when she's tired. I'm scared that this fall has taken her straight to the later stages and she won't come back. Tried to get liquids inside her as I know that dehydration adds to confusion. And she's being tested for a urinary tract infection in case that's a factor. But has anyone else out there had experience of a fall leading to a sudden jump in symptoms. She also has Parkinson's. Thanks in advance to anyone who can help. All best, Michelle
Impact of a bad fall
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Yes in my experience it was the same. My mum had dementia and MS so I think some similarity there with the Parkinson's.
Whenever. Mum fell she would worsen but be reassured that over the next few days her symptoms would improve and she would regain most or all of her abilities. I do recall a urine infection had the worst effect on her symptoms. I thought some of her falls were caused by TIAs and so that would also help to explain the symptoms.
CT scans aren't the most pleasant things and I think the anxiety that undergoing that will have caused can't have helped.
I do sympathise. Please keep posting and asking questions as there is always someone here to help. Hope things improve for you soon x
Whenever. Mum fell she would worsen but be reassured that over the next few days her symptoms would improve and she would regain most or all of her abilities. I do recall a urine infection had the worst effect on her symptoms. I thought some of her falls were caused by TIAs and so that would also help to explain the symptoms.
CT scans aren't the most pleasant things and I think the anxiety that undergoing that will have caused can't have helped.
I do sympathise. Please keep posting and asking questions as there is always someone here to help. Hope things improve for you soon x
Sorry to hear that.
It's hard to know what will happen in the elderly. Mums neighbour, no Alzheimer's badly broke her ankle aged 91 but bounced back and is going strong two years later.
My aunt, Alzheimer's, broke her pelvis and never walked againafter that but her illness was becoming quite advanced although she was shuffling about abit etc
It's so hard to say.
My aunt lived another 8 months after that.
Hi Michelle, so sorry to hear about your Mum. I don't know whether the following is of any help - things are so unpredictable with this disease and each case is unique.
Before we had any inklings that there was anything wrong with my mother, she phoned me up to say she couldn't find her glasses. When I went round it turned out that she had fallen backwards off a ladder and banged the back of her head and her bottom really badly. I took her to A & E and although she wasn't making much sense, they said that she was ok but concussed. She could not put names to faces, had trouble with her language and her speech was slurred and she was also very confused. 6 months later, she still couldn't put names to faces (it never came back), her speech was just about back to normal, her choice of words still not so good but she was only slightly less confused, though convinced she was fine. The doctor said that the bang on the head had precipitated what was already there ie Alzheimer's but wouldn't send her to the memory clinic as mother felt she was fine. Over the next year she rapidly declined - and was eventually diagnosed (the MRI scan showing no bleed on the brain from the bang on the head) with moderate AD. Her decline since then to her current status of advanced AD has been much slower.
Trying to make sense of it all, I reckon that the effects of the concussion lasted a long time - and was much longer and much more severe than I would ever have expected. She did recover from it but it definitely triggered a decline in that her Alzheimer's became apparent when it wasn't before. It seems that the effects of concussion present symptoms very like Alzheimer's and it's hard to unpick what's really going on especially when other factors are also in the mix.
I hope your mum gets better soon - it must have been so painful for her, and I do hope that you are ok as well.
Kind regards
Gerry
Before we had any inklings that there was anything wrong with my mother, she phoned me up to say she couldn't find her glasses. When I went round it turned out that she had fallen backwards off a ladder and banged the back of her head and her bottom really badly. I took her to A & E and although she wasn't making much sense, they said that she was ok but concussed. She could not put names to faces, had trouble with her language and her speech was slurred and she was also very confused. 6 months later, she still couldn't put names to faces (it never came back), her speech was just about back to normal, her choice of words still not so good but she was only slightly less confused, though convinced she was fine. The doctor said that the bang on the head had precipitated what was already there ie Alzheimer's but wouldn't send her to the memory clinic as mother felt she was fine. Over the next year she rapidly declined - and was eventually diagnosed (the MRI scan showing no bleed on the brain from the bang on the head) with moderate AD. Her decline since then to her current status of advanced AD has been much slower.
Trying to make sense of it all, I reckon that the effects of the concussion lasted a long time - and was much longer and much more severe than I would ever have expected. She did recover from it but it definitely triggered a decline in that her Alzheimer's became apparent when it wasn't before. It seems that the effects of concussion present symptoms very like Alzheimer's and it's hard to unpick what's really going on especially when other factors are also in the mix.
I hope your mum gets better soon - it must have been so painful for her, and I do hope that you are ok as well.
Kind regards
Gerry
Impact of a bad fall - thank you!
Hello Piedwarbler, Dotty D and Gerry - thanks so much for coming back so quickly. Think I just needed to share it with folks who know about this stuff too! Just off to hospital, so will see how mum is today. Trying to take things one day at a time and to help my very scared dad to not see mum's current state as permanent. Thanks again and will post again. What a great group to have around. Michelle
Hello Piedwarbler, Dotty D and Gerry - thanks so much for coming back so quickly. Think I just needed to share it with folks who know about this stuff too! Just off to hospital, so will see how mum is today. Trying to take things one day at a time and to help my very scared dad to not see mum's current state as permanent. Thanks again and will post again. What a great group to have around. Michelle
It's so hard, isn't it? Painkillers may well be messing with her head at the moment as well, remember. X
Hello again - a pattern has emerged where mum's confused and rambling when I see her for afternoon visits but is hallucinating and very agitated for evening visits. It's just over three days in now to her having antibiotics for the urinary tract infection that she may or may not have. So, it's a waiting game to see if that's the cause of her new behaviour or if she's maybe got vascular dementia, despite being diagnosed with Alzehimer's. Those of you who've been dealing with the upset of seeing a loved one in this state for months and years are too amazing for words. My heart goes out to you. I'm struggling with this after a few days. I was adjusting to the slow decline but this going over a cliff and seeing her so upset is just awful. Thanks for being there, Michelle x
Yes Michelle I found the agitation and anxiety harder to deal with than anything. I'm thinking of you. Hang in there. Hope things improve x
