Does dementia come and go?

Mom has some of the symptoms of dementia, but mostly memory loss. I find that it doesn't really come and go - she will have a good couple of weeks and then -bang - a new symptom or two will show up, or a new behavior change. Like suddenly misplacing the toilet paper into the trash can instead of the toilet (and leaving feces on the outside of the trash can and not noticing it) - then she'll be ok for another couple weeks, but the new symptom or behavior stays, it doesn't resolve or go away. It just gets progressively worse with more and more symptoms as time goes by.

Great answers from everyone here so I won't add much but to say that yes, this is not an uncommon occurrence. Anything from a UTI, sleep meds, anxiety meds, B12 deficiency (not watched for often enough so you should ask about that) or dementia could be causing this. She should be examined by a gerontologist is you can get her into one. If not, an internal medicine doctor can check for a UTI and other things. A neurologist will check for dementia. If it's a type of dementia, then you'll know what to watch for. Information will help you cope with whatever this is.

Please keep reading here and also let us know how you are doing.
Carol

ANY type of infection, esp. UTI (urinary tract infection), bladder, etc. which is quite common esp. in elderly women can cause their behavior to gradually change for the worse as infection worsens. Any time my mom's routine behavior suddenly changes, or she is more irritable, etc., I take her in for a urinalysis. Thankfully, her senior primary care physician (highly recommend getting her one) always starts her on an antibiotic immediately while awaiting the test results. That extra one or two days awaiting test results can make all the difference in the world. After that length of time w/o antibiotic or penicillin, my mom will literally walk and appear drunk, falling into walls, staggering, and acting like she is drugged out of her mind. As soon as medication starts taking effect, there is always a very noticeable improvement in her behavior. As for short-term memory loss and difficulty with thought processing, my mom exhibits that on a daily basis, but after a year, she still functions at home remarkably well overall. I cannot stress how important routine is for someone with dementia.

Has she been diagnosed with dementia? At 90 yrs. she is bound to have some, and becoming disoriented to place and time is a warning sign it could be dementia. Or it could be she is dehydrated, have low Vitamin D and/or B-12, or she has taken an antihistamine with diphenhydramine in it (Benadryl) which will make it appear like she has dementia. Have her checked out with a neurologist. Another diagnosis which has identical symptoms is NPH. Factor in incontinence, an abnormal gait with memory loss and it could be NPH (Normal Pressure Hydoencephalus - which isn't "normal").

Yes, my husband has stroke related dementia. It is mild. I came home from work and he didn't eat his lunch. I asked him why and he said it wasn't time yet. I asked him to look out the window. It was 5:30 and dark outside. He remembered to take p.m. Medication thou. Of course he was very tired. I now put a piece of electrical tape on p.m. Pills because he also takes p.m. Pills in morning sometimes. There are days he does well and days not so good.

It is difficult for us carers to accept LO's mind is damaged by the Disease. Not only is memory damaged their ability to process thoughts is impaired. It is frightening and frustrating how behaviors flicker in and out. The damage is always there, how it hits comes and goes

You really need to know correct dementia diagnosis

Alzheimer's disease and dementia,

there is a distinct difference, other dementias: Vascular dementia, Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy Bodies and Frontotemporaldementia. Some causes of dementia are treatable and evenreversible. source:
Mayo Clinic tinyurl/qdgj9g .
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Dementia Definition By Mayo Clinic staff
Dementia isn't a specific disease. Instead, dementia describes a group of symptoms affecting intellectual and social abilities severely enough to interfere with daily functioning. Many causes of dementia symptoms exist. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of a progressive dementia.
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Memory loss generally occurs in dementia, but memory loss alone doesn't mean you have dementia.
Dementia indicates problems with at least two brain functions, such as memory loss and impaired judgment or language. Dementia can make you confused and unable to remember people and names. You also may experience changes in personality and
social behavior.

My MIL had vascular dementia. In the early years, her dementia "appeared" and "disappeared". As the illness continued the dementia appeared more and more often. It was so infrequent at first that family members argued about whether or not she was having dementia episodes. Vascular dementia is relatively shorter lifespan wise , if I remember correctly it's a 5-8 year average.

What I see with Mom is that as long as she is talking without interruption, she sounds perfectly normal. When you ask her a question, then the memory circuits fail. Waking up is like asking her a question: Is it morning or night? She cannot tell. As for meds, mom can't remember what she took or when. That is why she is at Assisted Living where the staff handles her medication and tells her what day and time it is. They reassure her.