Hello,

[ami]

Hi, my grandad has been diagnosed with vasuclar dementia. He has had it for about 2 years now but was only diagnosed at christmas. He used to live with us but as his deterioration continued my mom found it too hard to provide him with the care he needed and have a full time job. He now lives in a residential home and we go and see him most nights and take him out lots.

Since he has gone in to the home(about 5 weeks ago) he has lost 2 stone. Nobody can get him to eat, we have told him if he doesnt eat he will have to go into hospital, because thats what the doctor said, but he wont listen! My mom is really worried, and we all are now.

My grandad seems to have lost all his personality and he hardly ever talks. Its so difficult to try and talk to him because often he will ignore us. He always appears to be bored and tired.

Im probably wrong but it just seems that no one can help him, i was wondering if there was anything that the family could do to help him?

Is it because he has moved in to the residential home? I really didnt think that the dementia could progress that fast, it seems its really starting to take its toll.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as im trying my hardest to support my mom, but i dont know what to say!!

Thanks for reading
Love Ami x

 

[noelphobic]

Hi Ami

Welcome to TP. It is not uncommon to hear about weight loss in people with dementia, especially after a change in their lives. My mum has gone through phases of not eating well, but generally seems to pick up. Has anyone tried Ensure or something similar with your grandad, do you know? It's a milkshake type drink which comes in different flavours and is often used in hospitals and homes for people who aren't eating very well.

Sometimes people do seem to deteriorate after going into hospital or a residential home, but it is impossible to say how fast they would have deteriorated even without the change.

It sounds as though your grandad is very lucky in having a loving and supportive family around him. I am sure you will get lots more answers because there is a wealth of experience on here.

Brenda

 

[Irish_Lisa]

My granddad was diagnosed with VD also (although I have a bad habit of just calling it Alzheimer's). He too lost a lot of weight after initially entering the home but after that his appetite started to pick up (especially when we produced the chocolate bars!) You're all doing so well by him, be proud of yourselves. xx

 

[Brucie]

although I have a bad habit of just calling it Alzheimer's

not such a bad habit, for several reasons...

Non-specialist doctors tend to use Alzheimer's as a catch all dementia phrase, possibly because they know that most people will understand the name. Possibly also because they know no different

We might also do so, for the same reason, of using a term that may be familiar to our audience.

Often an initial diagnosis of one kind of dementia may later be changed to one of mixed dementia.

It all gets too complex to explain to other people, so in reality, "Alzheimer's" is as good a handle as any.

 

[Grannie G]

Hi Amy, It is possible that your grandfather is really confused.

If his condition has deteriorated so rapidly, then he was moved into residential care, then lost a lot of weight, his whole system is probably in shock. It is likely he doesn`t know where he is or what`s happening.

Give him time to adjust. He has a loving family with only his best interests in mind. If you continue your visits and trips out, he may settle in time.

By the way, have you discussed this worry with the home? What do they say may be the cause of his behaviour?

Take care, love Sylvia x

 

[Helena]

You have not said what age your Grandfather was but if its like my Mother who had VD they loose the will to eat and cant be bothered with anything in the later stages along with loosing weight

My Mother was 90 and quite honestly her refusal to eat etc was her way out of a hell she did not like experiencing also as VD progresses the vulnerable brain shuts down other parts of the body and they become much more vulnearable to infection ....its natures way of dealing with things

 

[noelphobic]

sometimes a loss of appetite can be a temporary thing. My mum has gone through phases of having no appetite at all and back to eating like a horse. It's very difficult to judge with someone whether it is temporary or not.

 

[Kayla]

My Mum seems to eat very well and the food at her nursing home is good, but she is still slowly losing weight. When people start to lose mobility and are using their muscles less, then the muscle wastage could cause weight loss.
I think a gradual decline in body mass may be a natural part of the aging process and providing there isn't a dramatic drop, it may not be anything to worry about. Mum is weighed once a month and she is given supplement milk drinks if necessary, but she is looking very well at the moment.
Kayla