Hi - Nice to find this forum and hopefully get some answers. My husband, almost 87, was diagnosed with dementia 4 years ago and recently has started sleeping 18-20 hours a day. He'll get up eventually, eat some breakfast (toast with PB&J) and practically fall asleep eating. Then he'll sleep another 4-5 hours on and off in a chair. He usually grunts while he's sleeping. He has a really hard time expressing his thoughts or grasping what I'm trying to say to him, and usually forgets from day to day what has transpired. His doctor has called in home healthcare to treat a bedsore on his ankle and said she would call in hospice after the wound care folks are done. He's eating and taking his medication, but only because I give it to him. If he's left to his own, he wouldn't eat. My question is what to expect next?? Will he just slip into a coma, get worse (and how long this phase lasts). He also has heart disease and is a diabetic (it's getting harder to regulate his sugar), and has a pacemaker - pacing only since 2015. Thanks much!
Husband with dementia
- Thread starter Charley2019
- Start date
Hello @Charley2019 Welcome.
The progression of dementia varies so much it's really difficult to know what it `normal`.
Even though your husband sleeps so much, has it rendered him incontinent or does he still wake to go to the toilet?
Does he still have his mobility?
My husband was diabetic. As his dementia progressed the diabetic medication became ineffective. One of the symptoms of diabetes before diagnosis is excessive sleeping which made me wonder if your husband's diabetic medication might need adjusting or maybe even becoming ineffective.
The progression of dementia varies so much it's really difficult to know what it `normal`.
Even though your husband sleeps so much, has it rendered him incontinent or does he still wake to go to the toilet?
Does he still have his mobility?
My husband was diabetic. As his dementia progressed the diabetic medication became ineffective. One of the symptoms of diabetes before diagnosis is excessive sleeping which made me wonder if your husband's diabetic medication might need adjusting or maybe even becoming ineffective.
I think its quite normal for people with dementia sleep more as the disease progresses.
My OH sleeps for aprox 14 hours a day now even though I would not call his stage to be advanced.
Im afraid that there is no knowing how long any particular stage will last, or even how exactly it will progress.
Im sorry, I dont seem to be able to answer your questions. Unfortunately, with dementia, its impossible to answer questions about the future. Oh for a working crystal ball!
My OH sleeps for aprox 14 hours a day now even though I would not call his stage to be advanced.
Im afraid that there is no knowing how long any particular stage will last, or even how exactly it will progress.
Im sorry, I dont seem to be able to answer your questions. Unfortunately, with dementia, its impossible to answer questions about the future. Oh for a working crystal ball!
Hi Grannie G - and thank you for the warm welcome! My husband is somewhat continent. He has the occasional "accident" and I've put pads in his underwear to help out. He is still mobile, but becoming more and more unsteady and fragile. He is a diabetic and also has CAD. It's becoming more and more difficult to keep his blood sugar low. I adjust his long term insulin depending on his numbers before dinner and will give short acting at breakfast if it's too high.
The other thing he does is he grunts all the time. I'm not sure if it's because he's in pain (he has a bed sore on his ankle that won't heal). He's getting home wound healthcare and his doctor wants to call in hospice once we get that healing well.
