Last stages of Vascular Dementia .. how long?

[Underwing74]

My husband is 76 and has had Vascular Dementia since his late sixties. He is now basically bed bound, doubly incontinent, sleeps most of the time and has very few moments of lucidity. He eats small blended meals sometimes, more than others. While mostly a placid gentle man he has moments of extreme agitation and becomes very uncooperative if nurses are trying to help him. What kind of life expectancy is there I this stage of the illness?

 

[Beate]

The factsheet says

"How long someone will live with vascular dementia varies greatly from person to person. On average it will be about five years after the symptoms started. The person is most likely to die from a stroke or heart attack."
https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/sites...loads/factsheet_what_is_vascular_dementia.pdf

However, he has already outlived that prognosis, so who is to say? He does seem to be in the later stages now though.

 

[karaokePete]

As Beate suggests, it's impossible to say. Every case of dementia is different.

I was reading an Australian web-site recently and it suggested that the later stage can last from a couple of months to a couple of years but that its impossible to be precise as these figures are just averages and any speciindividual can be outside the average.

 

[Underwing74]

I just read the fact sheet and found it very helpful in understanding more about Vascular Dementia. My husband is being very well cared for having spent a couple of months in he geriatric ward of our local hospital and now in a bright cheery home for the aged but his awareness of his surroundings had diminished even more in the last month. I just wonder how much worse it can become.

 

[Angela57]

My husband is 76 and has had Vascular Dementia since his late sixties. He is now basically bed bound, doubly incontinent, sleeps most of the time and has very few moments of lucidity. He eats small blended meals sometimes, more than others. While mostly a placid gentle man he has moments of extreme agitation and becomes very uncooperative if nurses are trying to help him. What kind of life expectancy is there I this stage of the illness?

My dad has had vascular dementia for 12 years now. It became mixed dementia about 5 years ago. Like your husband, for several years he has blended food and also has thickened drinks, is doubly incontinent and bed bound, he cannot understand or speak now, and sleeps almost all of the time. All those symptoms have been for 3 years now, except for being bed bound, which has been for only a few months. As others have said, life expectancy varies with each person. I wish you well.

 

[Underwing74]

Hi Angela57!
It must be very distressing for you to see your father like this and for so long. My hisband’s decline has been in steps until Easter this year when he had bowel surgery. Since then a series of bowel obstructions have exacerbated his condition with each episode and the decline has been all down hill. A month ago we almost lost him from one of these episodes and the decline is even greater. It’s hard to say but I wish he has passed then when he still had some life in him. I hate seeing him vegetating as he is.

 

[TAP]

My Dad is also 76 and diagnosed with Mixed Alzheimers with vas dementia in the summer 2015 and has gone down hill quickly and with parkinsons as well and diabetic. Dad thank goodness is a gentle man - only when poorly really and cannot communicate with us. He also is bed bound and has been since Jan 2016 when he was in hopsital for 5 weeks after an complicated infection and secondary sepsis and has not been able to walk since. Long gone when he was able to recognise us. Doubly incontinent, on soft food diet but he does drink (with Resource thicken up powder) - need to hold the cup as he is not able to himself. We still have Dad in the family home and outside of my full-time work I am his carer together with Mum (we also have carers in 3 times a day). Issue is now tablets as Dad is no longer able to swallow them. I will print out and read that fact sheet that was posted to this thread but I too wonder how long Dad has (is that a bad thing?! but also to let nature take its course and pass away peacefully as home?!?) I love Dad to bits. I imagine 3 years it quite a short time from when first being diagnosed to being totally bed bound and not being able to do anything for himself anymore?

 

[REW44]

Hello, I'm new to this forum and have been reading all your messages and queries. My mum in law had a sudden unexpected stroke in June last year - we were all very shocked. She is now in a nursing home and cannot speak, limited swallowing and only movement on her left side. It is shocking, upsetting and so cruel seeing her like this. I know it's morbid, but we were just wondering what the life expectancy was for her - she has confirmed vascular dementia and drifts in and out. So sad.

 

[Bunpoots]

Welcome to Dementia Talking Point @REW44

I don’t think it’s possible to give you a time expectation. My mum went in a similar way to your MIL and a sudden stroke took all her abilities and quality of life away. She lasted about 18 months and it was horrible to see her like that. My dad slid slowly into dementia and then died suddenly and unexpectedly after a stroke when I’d expected him to last for months or even years longer. Everyone is different. I understand your sadness and the reason for your question.