PWD Capacity changing by the hour

[chippiebites]

My Husband is 84 with Vascular Dementia. Today at 5am he could sit on the side of bed & drink his tea quite well, 9am he couldn't sit unaided, didn't want to get out of bed & I had to hoist him on to wheelchair to get to the bathroom. Then really sleepy until 3pm, says is it time for cup of tea?, this again he can drink sat on the side of the bed, when his carer comes we get him into wheelchair & then lounge fairly easily & he talks about what he can see in the garden. Now 6pm won't talk and back to sleep. There is no pattern, I can't understand how someone can vary in their abilities hour to hour. Dementia is the strangest illness.

 

[Lemondrizzle]

This puzzles me too. My MIL can waiver between two worlds, sometimes being surprising in her grasp of things and then moments later not making any sense at all. Some days we think there has been a big downturn and then, like now, we are back to where she was a few weeks ago. She didn't seem like she had a UTI although the weather was hot so maybe that explained the recent changes it but it is very scary not knowing from one day to the next how she is going to be affected by this terrible illness. Mum's garden is still a great source of joy to her and it is now the one place where she seems most settled when "helping" with the weeding.

I hope your husband has a good day tomorrow.

 

[chippiebites]

Thanks Lemon Drizzle, I think a good couple of hours is the most I expect. I've just been trying to get Husband to bend knees to put on wheelchair foot rests & he's forgotten how to do that! It's very hard to bend someone's legs, especially as I worry about hurting him. Probably be able to do it tomorrow.
Hope you and your MIL have a good day tomorrow too.

 

[Norfolk Cherry]

My mum has vascular dementia and I’m finding it hard to decide whether she needs to be in a home and if so, whether she needs a dementia unit or care home. My husband has had to have an emergency operation in another city and I have had to get my daughter to look after her. Weirdly the whole crisis has sharpened her up! She remembers what’s happening, she seems much more herself. Three days ago she didn’t know whose house she was in and couldn’t remember seeing me the day before! She was acutely anxious, couldn’t stay in the house and looked terrified. Am getting a social workers assessment as well as assessments by care homes, I guess they must come across this all the time ?