Hello, I am new to this site. I really feel for all who are going through this. I am trying to see if anyone has had a similar experience and might have some knowledge that can help. My friend who is in her late 70s -has severe cognitive decline. It happened over the course of this last year. She also has significant other physical health issues. However, there have been about 5 times this year that she has had to go to the hospital for kidney, heart, and hip. Every time she has gone to the… read more
Maybe she is getting more fluids. The doctor told us that even a slight imbalance in electrolytes can have an effect on dementia patients. I give my dad gatorade and electrolyte water every day.
Regarding the improvement at the hospital...my husband seems to be better with more activity and changes from just sitting around watching tv all day. We did a road trip and there was some improvement over the days. he was still confused, did nothing to make the trip happen, sleeping was an issue, but a bit more verbal and actually expressed his pleasure at traveling and said he wanted to keep traveling. Since we've been home 2 weeks, he has been a bit more engaged. He cannot tell you much of what we did or where we went, so language is very impacted. I think boredom & possibly depression is an issue. He was 'the guy in charge' of every thing, and now he has NO ability to plan or execute much on his own. Your friend may perk up with the extra attention and as a point of pride in her abilities that makes her a bit clearer. Just a thought. For me I do think boredom/depression are a consideration for my husband. Last cognitive assessment he was engaging and made jokes, but did worse on the actual assessment. Seemed to me he wanted to 'please the docs, so he made a huge effort.
If she does not have interaction with people at home and is somewhat
isolated, she could be reacting to all the activity she is receiving in
the hospital.
I imagine it could be many things. The first thing that came to my mind is maybe she’s getting better hydration in the hospital. I know first hand, keeping our loved ones hydrated at home can be a challenge at times.
It's also possible (as happened recently with my Mum) that she actually has more social interaction in the hospital with nurses, dietary aides, housekeeping staff than she has at home. AD can be very isolating at home.