Does dementia ALWAYS keep getting worse and worse?

Yes it always gets worse. There are many different types of dementia, alz being the most common. Read the info on this site and learn about how to deal with it.

My friend's dementia started abruptly on the face of it. With hindsight, it had progressed almost imperceptibly over maybe 4 years (I used to keep asking him why he never paid the phone bill, for instance). Then one day he woke up and the entire day kept asking what the day was. 'Wednesday!? What!? What happened to Tuesday?' Since then, it has become worse. He realises he has a problem but claims it's improving. It isn't. I suspect it is getting worse. He is still in the relatively mild phase despite financial implications. But it IS getting worse. For instance, one year ago he was still driving to the mall to buy groceries. These days, he buys takeaways locally. What I'm trying to say is that it WILL get worse, however slowly. So, watch out for the signs. They're easy to miss because we judge dementia patients by 'normal' standards and if you have a forgiving (non-judgemental) nature, you'll put down his not bathing to laziness and think: 'Ach. He doesn't need to bath every day because he's sedentary.' That would be fine if he didn't have dementia but if he does .... it probably means he's sliding further away from reality.

The neurologist I take my mother to diagnosed her with Alzheimer's / Dementia years ago. I am her primary caregiver and she lives with me so I have seen her gradually decline up close. Read as much as you can about the disease & how best to handle situations. I have had to change tactics many times through the progression, but I'm pretty patient and try very hard not to take anything she says or does to me personally. I cut my pity parties down to a minimum and am thankful for all of my blessings & so grateful that I still have my mom. It's definitely tough going but make the best of every day & you will figure out what tactics work with your mom. The disease does follow certain patterns but not everything works for everyone. Bless you & once you accept that you can't control what is a tragic disease & let it be, you won't believe the inner strength you have. Best of luck and always remember you're not alone!!

Yes it will get worse. My mother has had increasing dementia for years and now seems to be in the later stages. She's almost 90, been in a NH for close to 3 years, bed ridden and either out of it or hallucinating and ranting and raving pure nonsense.