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My father has severe dementia and most of the time he sleeps or is up all day and night fidgeting. He is bedridden. Today, his caregiver and I tried to change him but he fought us every step of the way. He was kicking his legs, punching, and yelling. I held him with all my might so the caregiver would not be hurt. My father appeared to have superhuman strength. How can a severely demented person suddenly appear so strong?

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I do not have experience taking care of someone with that level of dementia, but I would think that a visit to the doctor to get some medication to calm him down is necessary. You could have been hurt or your father too. As to your question about super human strength, yes the body can exhibit tremendous strength when fueled by adrenaline. I witnessed this once with my 4'10", 120 lbs. mother with bipolar when she was in a manic phase. It took 3 burly EMT's to wrestle her into the ambulance. I remember a doctor telling her that these episodes would shorten her life if she didn't take her medicine properly because all that adrenaline was so hard on the body. Well, she is 86 now, but she lost mobility and the ability to take care of herself many years ago.
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