Sudden Behavior Change

Norma W

My husband and I have been caring for his mother full-time (all living together) for a year  now.  In the last week or so I've noticed a decline in her behavior.  The sundowning starts earlier in the day and almost without any warning.  She askes lots more questions, and when she doesn't like the answer, she'll ask more questions and that gets her upset and combative.  She brings up old memories and insists it's happening now.  She's been retired for close to 20 years but insists she needs to get to work.  All standard stuff I'm sure.  

The other day she was upset because she thought our dog was in the car and cold.  When we couldn't convince her the dog was on his blanket in the other room, husband took her outside (in the cold & rain) and showed her the empty car.  As soon as they got back inside, she started up again about the dog being in the car.

I'd say she's in early stage six.  She's always had trust issues with people, even before her diagnosis.  Is this sudden decline in behavior a normal thing?  We've adjusted meds (with doctor's approval) and are watching her to see if it helps in any way.

Thanks  

terei

Have you had her checked for a UTI?  That can cause sudden behaviors.  Otherwise, you will have to wait to see if the meds change works.

At stage 6, especially if she is losing weight, I would also suggest having her assessed for hospice.

Norma W

We had her checked for a UTI back in December.  I thought about that but she can't fill the cup for the sample, not even with a nurse helping.  The last time the nurse had to come in and use a catheter to get a sample, which came back negative for UTI.

Thanks for the response.  I try to read as much as I can but just don't know how to navigate all of this.

Ed1937

Did they run a culture with the UTI test? That is important because there is a decent chance of a false negative finding, and only with the culture can they have the information needed for the best way to treat it. UTIs can be dangerous, and they can cause sudden changes in behavior.