How fast can Alzheimer's come on?

My mother is having similar symtoms as yours. I noticed that if she consumes to much caffeine she will experience delusions and her memory is worsens. I don't know if the coffee is doing this to her.

I would wonder about mini-strokes (which can happen while she's asleep),& would ask her doctor about the depression--if it can be treated, it might have less impact on the Alzheimer disease.

On Easter Monday my Dad had a rare good, lucid day. He could still shuffle along and eat unaided. Since then he has fallen numerous times and seems to have completely "shut down". He is sundowning very badly and hallucinates. He sees spiders and ants crawling over everything. He is unable to even stand and has lost his appetite completely. He is also battling to swallow and I have to drop water into his mouth with a syringe. Dad has also developed Alzheimer's pneumonia. His muscles seem to be locking. I fear that he is nearing the end.

I am flabbergasted at the rate of rapid decline!

Recently my Mother's symptoms of dementia got noticeably worse in a short time. We took her to the doctor even though she had no other symptoms of illness. She had a urinary tract infection without any of the usual symptoms of UTI (like urgency, frequency, or burning pain when urinating). Once she was on antibiotics for a few days, her dementia symptoms backed down to her baseline. I was so thankful it was not a rapid decline and we got back some time I thought we lost!

This happened with my MIL and unfortunately, a CAT scan revealed 2 brain tumors which had metastasized from her lungs. Not what we were expecting--we had thought about strokes also.

I posted this in May and my Dad passed away within the week. The decline was unbelievable fast and I believe the agitation was due to the pneumonia. Infections increase the rate of decline!