The clocks going back

[steve54]

My Mum was diagnosed with vascular dementia about 12 months ago and back then the first few months were horrendous. She had two stays in hospital which wasn't very nice for her. She was very agitated and frustrated, tearful and desperate. Then her consultant put her on a low dose of quetaipine and her mood and behaviour changed for the better. She was discharged from hospital at Easter and moved to a care home.

Not surprisingly she said she didn't like it and she wanted to leave. But after difficult early days her mood did improve and she began to see me to the front door and wave me away as I drove off. This was a big change from the earlier clinging on to me and crying as I made to go. Mum even enjoyed two birthday parties in the summer where people were surprised there was anything wrong with her. They said she was like the old Ellen.

This improvement continued until about two weeks ago when she became more anxious and tearful again. And then this week she was showing signs of anger and frustration at being in the home. Everybody is having a go at me, she complained. She cried and clenched her fists and begged me to take her home. I couldn't of course but it took me back to how she was and how I felt at the start of the year. Now I'm worried that she is going to get worse again.

It might just be me but it seems that the change in Mum has coincided with the clocks going back. I have been told by her doctor that the dark does affect dementia patients, but she didn't seem to mind the darkness in the summer. Is it something to do with the shorter days?

Another thing that occurred about the same time was the death of one of her nieces, but I'm not sure how much of that news she really took in or remembers.

Has anyone else had similar experiences with their loved ones? Is there anything practical I can do?

Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings.

 

[connie]

Hello Steve, I think some of the answer lies in your first sentence:

My Mum was diagnosed with vascular dementia about 12 months ago

With VD sudden drops/changes in behaviour are the norm. The progression of the illness is more like going downstairs, whereas AD presents in more of a downward slope.

That said - I really am no expert - but I guess we all look for reasons, when sometimes there is no rational explanation.

Has anyone else had similar experiences with their loved ones? Is there anything practical I can do?

I do hope someone better qualified can give you some better advice soon.

 

[Margaret W]

H Steve

My mum is currently waiting an appointment with the consultant psychiatrist and the GP said it could be a while cos they are always overworked when the clocks go back!

Love and best wishes

Margaret

 

[Margarita]

With VD sudden drops/changes in behaviour are the norm. The progression of the illness is more like going downstairs, whereas AD presents in more of a downward slope.

yes that is also how I find with my mother VD , I've not seen a change in my mother behavior because the time as gone back .

his was a big change from the earlier clinging on to me and crying as I made to go.

What i did find strange few workers have commented about it at mum AZ day center also a worker at social services day centre is how mum will remember thinks a week later , but not what happen in the morning if ask something in the evening about what happen that morning .

So if i told my mother her brother died , it’s all forgotten an hour later, but come a few days later and my mother will remember I had told her about her brother death as she just start taking about it out of the blue .

If someone at day centre tell her there going to do something next week ,come next week my mother will remember it . But if I ask her what she did that day when she gets home she can't remember.

So on that conclusion the worker at mum AZ day centre said mum has not got AZ , but VD then when I got a referral to a consultant to do a reassessment on my mother mental health she also said mum has a vascular element also.

So may be telling her this news about the death has upset your mother and its coming out in a behavior of wanting to go home , because she can't express it any other way . Like you and I can

like what they said about mum when I notice a change in my mother behavior " That any drastic changes in mum dementia is due to changes in the brain from the Vascular dementia"

But with your mother

Your mother sound like she just repeating a behaviors she already had so an upset of emotion could of brought it back .

Only say that from observing my mother moods changes

 

[reluctant]

Hi Steve,
I too noticed a huge change in my Mum when the clocks went back, she seems to have lost confidence since. My Mum has not yet had a firm diagnosis of the type of dementia she is suffering from and as yet I am still a bit clueless, i am just so glad to find support and info here.

reluctant:

 

[steve54]

The clocks going back + aggressive behaviour

I had a terrible visit with my Mum last night. When I arrived at the CH she was alone in her room and I knew something was wrong. She was in a foul mood. A carer brought her supper and Mum ignored the carer. She refused to eat the food. She said the others in the home were having better food than her. They weren't of course. When I went to see the manager in the dining room to check how long Mum had been like this I noticed the other residents had exactly the same supper as Mum.

The CH manager said that Mum had been fine all day until about 4 o'clock then her mood changed. She said Mum often gets jealous if her friends talk to other people. There also seems to be some paranoia in Mum's attitude. She talks about "them being horrible to me", meaning the other residents.

When I went back to Mum's room she was angry and had a real go at me. She blamed me for putting her there and "never coming near nor by. I don't have a home. I'm stuck here. It's alright for you. You never do anything for me". None of which is true. She even became aggressive towards me and threatened me with her stick. Telling me to "clear off". Which I did. When's she's like this I find it best to leave her to it. You can't passify her change her view. You just have to wait til it passes.

The shows of temper and aggression isn't new, or just a consequence of dementia. She has always had these bad moods when she can show her temper, but somehow now it seems worse because she is dependent on the carers. I don't want anything bad to happen which might make Mum's situation worse.

I want to contact the consultant who looked after Mum in hospital before she was discharged and see if there is anything we can do cope with these mood changes. What do you think?

 

[Margarita]

She said Mum often gets jealous if her friends talk to other people. There also seems to be some paranoia in Mum's attitude. She talks about "them being horrible to me", meaning the other residents.

My mother also has had those symptoms feeling of jealous with people at her day centre , I felt paranoia was going on . Then mum was getting Verbally aggressive with the staff, rude to the person she was jealous. This all happen at the AZ day centre . Like you I knew what the under laying issue was with my mother losing her temper she was having a dilution that a mature worker she like . Mum said he was only working there because he like her, so would get jealous if anyone talk to him, mum got it into her head that he only work there , because he fancy mum.

Then paranoia how few other woman where trying to take him away from her .



AZ day centre was finding mum to challenging wanted to know if mum on any ant psychotic medication and not taken them, because they had never experience this mood change in my mother so advice me to see a consultant, as mum had never been aggressive verbally or rude to them before and my mother had been there 2 year. My mother always had a bad temper even, before dementia.


When mum got check over from the consultant, she said mum could have had one of those mini blood vessel burst it her brain cells, as my mother has vascular dementia. All they can do is give mum ant psychotic medication if the AZ day centre could not handle my mother challenging behaviour.

I would not let my mother take that kind of ant psychotic medication, so with me explaining to the AZ day centre why my mother was having that outburst of temper , they keep mum in the day centre without medication .

When I went back to Mum's room she was angry and had a real go at me. She blamed me for putting her there and "never coming near nor by. I don't have a home. I'm stuck here. It's alright for you. You never do anything for me". None of which is true.

You know from that statement from your mother that she deluding herself believing that she could every live alone in her home even if she did have a home . The dementia is stopping her from seeing clearly, so her anger is going to be directed at you . sound like you handle it really good by walking out .



I would say yes go see consultant, in case she loses it with a resident, she has the walking stick near her , if her anger about it all is Just not just directed at you . also if Care home do not know how to handle your mother feeling of paranoia without medication .

PS


Must add that ever case story like I tell about my mother is different, so if the paranoia is distressing your mother that she isolating herself into into her room. Medication may help take those symptoms away, to help her
Socialise .

 

[Grannie G]

Hello Steve.

I don`t know whether or not the clocks going back have any effect on mood or behaviour.

My husband was quick to flare up and prone to mood swings, pre dementia, but in those days he was approachable and would became reasonable. That is the difference.

There is no logic or memory with dementia so it is impossible to learn from experiences or control feelings. Everything is in the here and now and that`s what makes it so difficult.

 

[Margarita]

read this site and your understand more about delusion, what type there is

http://www.minddisorders.com/Br-Del/Delusions.html

#
# Delusional jealousy (or delusion of infidelity): A person with this delusion falsely believes that his or her spouse or lover is having an affair. This delusion stems from pathological jealousy and the person often gathers "evidence" and confronts the spouse about the nonexistent affair.

# Delusion of reference: The person falsely believes that insignificant remarks, events, or objects in one's environment have personal meaning or significance. For instance, a person may believe that he or she is receiving special messages from the news anchorperson on television. Usually the meaning assigned to these events is negative, but the "messages" can also have a grandiose quality.


# Erotomania: A delusion in which one believes that another person, usually someone of higher status, is in love with him or her. It is common for individuals with this type of delusion to attempt to contact the other person (through phone calls, letters, gifts, and sometimes stalking).

To the person that is having the delusion there is a lot of Logic to it,
Loads of imaginary memory being made up .

 

[steve54]

Just an update on this thread and one which may make more sense than the clocks going back. Last Monday Mum collapsed at the CH and was taken to A&E with a suspected seizure. Turns out, fortunately, it wasn't. But after a long afternoon hanging around A&E and with Mum getting more and more impatient and aggressive towards me for not getting her out of there a nurse finally took a urine sample. The sample showed an infection of her urine which I know from past experience with Mum can cause agitation in dementia patients. This infection may have been around a week or two and could, I don't know, be the reason why she has been behaving badly recently. Anti-biotics were prescribed and all seems okay so far, though I haven't visited Mum in the evening since her spell at A&E.

Urine infections seem to have quite an impact on people with dementia, or on Mum at least, and seem to occur frequently. Does anyone have any practical advice on how to:

a) spot infections (the CH are going to test her urine every couple of weeks now).

b) prevent infections with certain foods or drinks, something like cranberry juice was suggested.

Any experiences would be helpful.

Thank you.

 

[Margaret W]

No direct advice Steve, and my little mum died last Tuesday, but I was told by three different people that the clocks going back did affect many residents. It seems more likely that your mum's urine infection is relevant.

But, Steve, my mum also went through a long period of complaining about the home. She never blamed me for anything, so I didn't have that to deal with. But eventually she accepted the Home as being Home for her. It probably took a year for this to happen. Perhaps you have to just wait, pal. Everybody says it takes 6 weeks to 3 months, but in mum's case it really was nearer to a year.

Keep posting, we will see what we can do for you.

Love

Margaret

 

[maryw]

Urine infections seem to have quite an impact on people with dementia, or on Mum at least, and seem to occur frequently. Does anyone have any practical advice on how to:

a) spot infections (the CH are going to test her urine every couple of weeks now).

b) prevent infections with certain foods or drinks, something like cranberry juice was suggested.

Any experiences would be helpful.

Thank you.

Hi there, my Mum has had recurrent urine infections for years. We spot them by her complaining of dry lips, feeling lethargic, feeling hot.

Cranberry juice is the best thing for trying to avoid them - it prevents the bacteria from getting a grip. Unfortunately my Mum has dietary problems too so can't take cranberry juice! Also drinking lots of water is advised. You can also get a special medication from the GP called potassium citrate which makes the urine less acidic which she can take on a daily basis.

My Mum has had some bad experiences with antibiotics and seems to be allergic to a lot. In the last couple of years the GP has prescribed ciprofloxacin, but this seems to increase confusion now, so I don't know what they will prescribe from now on!! Try to avoid urine infections is the answer!!

Good luck.