My mom has entered a new stage but i'm not sure where she stands

scarfire

my 92 year old mom was diagnosed in 2014 with Alzheimers dementia. she's still living at home with health aides since 2015. i moved back in in 2017.

all through this illness, she seemed to stay in the same stage. hallucinations and delusions, some incontinence, confusion. infrequent anger/outbursts (fortunately). she's been mobile since the beginning with her walker. her speech is still excellent but mostly crazy delusions or frequent questions about her past that she can't recall. she's been maintaining her weight with a decent appetite.

over the past month, her mobility declined. she isn't walking well. her appetite has declined and now she's sleeping some days for 18+ hours and not eating.

she doesn't really fit the 7 stages pattern that i've read about. but there is definitely a progression. i'm not sure where we stand and wonder if she may need hospice care.

how do you know when hospice care is necessary? this illness is baffling.

Emily 123

Hello,

I'm so sorry about your mom. Hospice sounds like a good idea. It won't hurt to select one and ask them to come in and assess her.

M1

You don't need a doctor's order to request a hospice evaluation. All you have to do is call one or more agencies and ask them to come assess her. Sounds like she will probably qualify, and they can be a lot of help. Most people wait too late to call, you have nothing to lose by asking.

harshedbuzz

@scarfire

I agree with the others that it would be a good idea to get a hospice evaluation now.

Your mom sounds a bit like my dad. He never slotted easily into the 7-stage model for Alzheimer's either. The rule of thumb is that a PWD is in the latest stage for which they have a symptom/behavior but that was hard to embrace as dad remembered most of his close family and remained highly verbal until he died. As a result, he didn't get hospice on board. His care was fine, but I think the support would have been useful for my mom.

HB

pookabera

Just adding encouragement to reach out to hospice. My dad's progression suddenly dipped when he refused to eat for about a week, hospice approved him and then he rallied and was eating again. I've found hospice to be the most helpful and supportive out of all the medical people we've interacted with through this.