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What should I expect next and how soon

Hi. My mom is 79 years old and is a dementia patient. She has recently lost her ability to realize that she needs to urinate or poop. She does all of it in diapers and it's a nightmare to clean her up....as she gets angry, does not want to cooperate or listen while I clean her up. I am paranoid about her hygiene.

Her physical body is good...n she walks, moves around et all.

But her mental state is not good. At times, she is unable to make sentences of what she wants to communicate and barely understands what we are trying to tell or instruct her.

What should I expect next? I am worried that this may progress rapidly and want to be mentally prepared for the worst to come.

Comments

  • Iris L.
    Iris L. Member Posts: 4,454
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    Welcome Kiran. If you post this same question on one of the Caregiver boards, the knowledgeable members there can give you good advice. This board is mostly visited by persons with dementia.

    Iris

  • Kiran
    Kiran Member Posts: 13
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    Thank you so much

  • yesgarcia64
    yesgarcia64 Member Posts: 1
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    My mother has dementia. She can not take care of herself anymore. She is now living with me. When trying to say something she doesn't make any sense. Sometimes she doesn't recognize me. Sometime is very active at. My struggle with her is that she thinks she has little children. She will start asking for them. Until she wants to go look for them. She will walk out. It's been twice that she's done that and doesn't want to come back with me. Thank God a neighbor brought her home. Everyday she will try to go look for her children that she doesn't have. I don’t know who to call when she doesn't listen to me. I'm scared that she walks out and I don't know.
  • Iris L.
    Iris L. Member Posts: 4,454
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    Member

    Welcome yesgarcia. Your mom is living in the past. This happens with dementia. You might think about having her reside in a Memory Care facility, where there are caregivers attuned to her living in the past and who will know how to comfort her when she wants to look for her "children". They will also protect her from wandering. Please visit the Cargiver boards for specific advice as to how to look for a Memory Care facility.

    Iris

Commonly Used Abbreviations


DH = Dear Husband
DW= Dear Wife, Darling Wife
LO = Loved One
ES = Early Stage
EO = Early Onset
FTD = Frontotemporal Dementia
VD = Vascular Dementia
MC = Memory Care
AL = Assisted Living
POA = Power of Attorney
Read more