How much longer does she have?

aquamarine74

My mom is in early stage 7 of EO AD and has declined significantly over the last two weeks. She was in geri psych for about 3 weeks due to violent behaviors, and on the day she returned to MC, with meds figured out, she was walking, giving people hugs, etc. Now, about two weeks later, she is in a wheelchair full time, needs to be hand fed (this was actually true in geri psych as well, so that's not as new), and sleeps much of the time. She has been fully incontinent for quite a while and has been on hospice for several months though not specifically for AD (something to do with protein deficiency...I have not been her full time caregiver so I don't know all the details).

She still speaks a number of words and can smile. I know losing these are markers of later in stage 7.

I guess I am trying to figure out how long she has left. It feels to me like a matter of weeks, based on the change between the last two times I saw her, in the hospital and then a few days ago in MC. It seems odd that she was much better in geri psych than back in MC, but I don't have any concerns about the quality of MC care or medication issues. It could just be natural progression or perhaps the disruption of geri psych is having a delayed effect?

I know it's impossible to say, but based on this does it seem reasonable to think the end is coming sooner rather than later? The last official word from the doctor was somewhere between 6 months and two years--probably on the earlier end of that.

Thanks for any input on this unanswerable question. I don't know why it feels so important to know how long she has, when in stage 7 there's not much time left even in the best case.

aquamarine74

terei

It is hard to say from you description, but if you are not using Hospice, you should call them + get an assessment. They may be able to give you a clearer estimate.