Is it common for someone with Alzheimer's to have such a sudden decline of health?
Our Dad is moving toward the end of moderate and into severe. But, in one week's time there has been such an incredible downward spiral. A week ago, our Dad was able to dress himself and when we visited, he looked so good: bright-eyed, color in his cheeks, smiling, joking. One week later and I couldn't believe it was the same person. He was falling asleep at the table, completely disoriented, slightly agitated, color way off. We all know his confusion with the disease, the loss of short-term memory and even some long term memory loss. But, his whole demeanor was so reminiscent of someone heavily medicated. His wife says that nothing has changed and she is not alarmed by this rapid deterioration. Is it common for one to take such a nose dive in such a short period of time?
Expert Answer
Generally with Alzheimer's disease (AD) the progression of the disease is insidiously progressive. That is, you don't really see the decline happening. This rapid deterioration is much more common with a Vascular disease such as Multi-Infarct Dementia which presents in a more step-like course. One day the patient is dressing himself and the next day he struggles with it, whereas with AD, the person slowly loses the ability to do these once simple tasks over a period of many weeks or months. I, too, would be concerned about the sudden onset of these symptoms. Why did he suddenly go from being an alert interacting confused person to someone who is completely out-of-touch? Medications are frequently the trigger for this kind of behavior/cognitive change and I would definitely check with the pharmacist to see if this may be a drug reaction or interaction. If not, I would suggest medical intervention to find the trigger for this unusual ocurrence. You are correct in being concerned about this extremely rapid deterioration that is not typical of AD. Be well and take good care of yourself.