Are Mom's mood swings getting to the point where she needs to be placed in a nursing facility?
Mood swings are very common with dementia and can be unpredictable. Often patients cannot sustain socially appropriate behaviors when they misperceive reality or have impulses they cannot control. These outbursts can be managed pharmacologically and I suggest you contact either a psychiatrist or neurologist who is very familiar with dementia. You may need to begin with a low dose and then titrate it progressively until her outbursts lessen. These behaviors can also be treated environmentally- that is, avoid putting your mother in anxiety provoking situations. If going to the doctor is such a situation, then schedule them when less people are there or arrange for in-home physican visits. This would lessen your sense of embarrassment and perhaps create less stress for her. These mood swings are not necessarily a precipitant for nursing home placement but if you attempt these interventions and they are unsuccessful you may need to consider other options. Remember that behaviors change along the progression of dementia and these may dissipate in time.
