Mom (92) was in a behavioral pysch unit of a geriatric hospital for 16 days for aggressive outbursts and all day hallucinations. While there she was diagnosed with vascular dementia (quite different from LBD that was diagnosed before). She is now on a regime of risperidone (in addition to her regular meds) and Aricept at bedtime. She no longer wanders at night, is far more manageable, but it seems as though her mind is far more broken. She mixes up the past and acknowledges little in the present. Her ADL's have slipped and seems totally confused with everything in general. She isn't capable of any resemblance of a remotely normal conversation. She talks about dead people, tells outlandish stories (five drs. raped her, my husband beats me and my sisters house was destroyed by fire, her late brother left her food on the porch, her male dog of 15yrs. just had puppies, etc.). She believes all this to be true in the moment, but then forgets about it. I'm just surprised at how quickly she deteriorated in such a short span of time and I just don't know if this is something that happened because of the hospitalization and/or we are now facing the end stages of her dementia. The hospital did not request homebound transitional care, but we have reached out to our local council for the aging.
Finally, to all of you who care (have cared) full time for your LO you have my highest respect and deepest compassion. This is not for the faint of heart and is literally exhausting. You all deserve a standing ovation for all you do/have done.
Happy New Year!
I wonder if the meds are making your mom worse? I know my mother can't handle most meds at ALL; they make her mind function MUCH worse! When she was on Cymbalta for instance, she got SO bad SO fast, that she was incoherent and falling down w/o realizing she was on the floor! So for me, whenever I see a decline, I first think is she on a new medicine? If not, then I wonder if she's had a TIA or a stroke? I can't get that confirmed b/c a trip to the ER is a huge waste of time these days; if an elder doesn't have Covid, they're given the bum's rush in our experience. Mom was sent to the ER earlier in Dec for chest pain, given an EKG in the ambulance (which was normal), so the ER doc gave her a blood test and sent her on her way. In reality, I believe she has a pulmonary embolism b/c her oxygen levels are dipping down into the 60s which the ER doc ignored.
So, the other answer for new and off the rails behavior could be a UTI. Or she could have just taken another step down, cognitively, which is how VD works. They go along at a certain cognitive level for quite a while and then BOOM, they take a step down. That's what you may be witnessing now with your mother.
Each time my mother was hospitalized, it took quite a while for her to get back to her baseline normal also; it takes a lot out of them to BE hospitalized, so there's that factor to consider too. They get very disoriented when in the hospital, and take a cognitive hit, so that could be why your mom is delusional right now. Mine was delirious when in the hospital and then rehab, for the entire time! It was awful.
But who knows WHAT is happening to her, really, in the absence of tests for UTIs, strokes, etc? Can you ask her PCP for a hospice evaluation? S/he may have something of value to add to this mess you're in; I sure hope so.
I'm so sorry you are going thru such a terrible experience with your mom. I know how this feels and it's a 24/7 stomach ache. Sending you a big hug and a prayer for peace in the midst of the chaos.
I think part of the charm of agingcare is that we are all struggling for the "answers", and eventually we all end up knowing that what may be an answer for another isn't for us, or what is for us isn't for another.
I am so sad to hear about all that is going on for you and for your Mom. I am assuming she is in care now? Is that going OK for all of you?
And yes, let us all hope for a New Year as happy as it can be.