[r010159]

My mother has dementia. She has her good days and bad. She usuall gets up and listens to her music and watches allot of TV and constantly listens to her music. She usually sleeps 12 to 14 hours a day. She visited her freind across the street at least 5 times per day. And she frequently fed herself P&J sandwiches.

All this has changed.

She now is in bed for 18 hours a day. She sometimes lays awake telling me she needs to sleep some more. She even cried once. She has lost interest in getting up and doing things. She visits her freind maybe once a day and only if her freind talks her out of bed. She no longer asks for her music, and watches TV maybe an hour a day. She does not to anything these days.

I am thinking this is depression. I know this is normal with dementia. But it I'd now that she has lost interest is most everything that was important to her.

What do you guys think? The P.A., who is her doctor, thinks it is not depression. I think it can be treated with meds.

[BipolaRNurse]

She sounds profoundly depressed. It is not "normal" for an elderly person with dementia to be so uninterested in life, to sleep so much, to not want to get out of bed. Depression is seriously undertreated in this population. Please take her in for a second opinion; she deserves better.

[gayleggg]

Originally Posted by BipolaRNurse

She sounds profoundly depressed. It is not "normal" for an elderly person with dementia to be so uninterested in life, to sleep so much, to not want to get out of bed. Depression is seriously undertreated in this population. Please take her in for a second opinion; she deserves better.

I agree she needs a second opinion. She sounds very depressed to me, too.

[Victoria'smom]

Please get another option

[grandmaof3]

I agree. You need to take her for a 2nd opinion. I work with the elderly and most of my patients have some dementia. Most of them are active as much as their physical health lets them.