Recently, all my Mom wants to do is lay around. Is this dementia progression or medical?

My husband is not an elder, he is only 73. Perhaps it is the disease process but my husband is not an elder! He was a 70 year 50's who enjoyed all types of activities from golf to world travel and more. Please don't tell me this is the "winter" of his life.

This is the winter of the elders' lives.. They are not to be "on their game."

My husband is only 73 and can't sit down without falling asleep. Our doctor has checked his mess and says they are good. He has Lewy Body dementia (diagnosed 2 years),and type 2 diabetes. Any type of activity seems to exhaust him within minutes. His interest in the things he use to enjoy has greatly diminished, has difficulty completing sentences and a decreased appetite.

Are these symptoms consistent with Lewy Body. It is so very hard to watch what he is going through.

I agree that boredom could be part of the laziness.

You might want to look into a Senior Day Care program.. My Mom is 93 and just started going last year.. She enjoys it. The activity keeps her stimulated..

My Father who is 90 only wants to eat, sleep and watch TV. Seems happy because I tried to get him to do other things and he just becomes nasty.

This is a natural progression of dementia. They lose their interest in doing what we consider "normal'. Past 85 they are tired and don't have much energy. Leave her alone and stop trying to reverse the normal progression of life. Give her some vitamin D and multiple vitamins that may help. I am going through the same thing with my mother. I had to realize that all the effort we put forth is not helping their normal progression in life. Be patient and understanding. God will not take her until he is ready. Accept the fact that she has lived a long and good life.

Amen Valencom. My mom is 91, in a dem/alz facility and wheelchair bound. Doesn't talk much and when she does is jibberish but even when she is up in her wheelchair she closes her eyes and rests. Doesn't sleep but just closes her eyes a lot. It is hard. I hate seeing her like this but like the saying goes "It is what it is". I also agree that as we age, traumas, or just plain life can take it out of a healthy person sometimes. Dementia is just another blow to our bodies. I know that most facilities like to get the patients up and try to keep their minds active . Most of them can't anymore but they try. You didn't say if she lives with you but if she does or doesn't. If that's all she wants to do and her vital signs are good then I say let her sleep. As above posts have said, everything just slows down. Good Luck and God Bless....

My mother is the same way; she's 91 with advanced dementia and spends almost all her time in bed either reading or sleeping. Like your mom, she is, otherwise, in good health. I've decided just to let her do what her body is telling her to do - she seems happy and comfortable and that, I think, is the most important thing.

What I'm thinking could actually be a sign of boredom as well as other things mentioned here. Sometimes when you live alone like I do and have very little to no money on top of living in a town where there's little to do, this can seriously limit what you can participate in with very little to no money, especially if your social circle is very small like mine is. This can leave you to the point of being so bored and lonely that all there is to do is lay around. This is especially intensified during cold winters and very hot summers. If you have no car to get around during those cold winter days and you have no other way to get around without having to use public transit, this leaves you pretty much housebound during winter. If you're prone to heat illness during summer, this can also leave you housebound. Being housebound with all of what's mentioned in this post can leave you with nothing more to do but to lay around. This is why they call summer days "lazy hazy summer."

What you can do is try to engage your loved one into doing some very easy light exercises, some of which can be done while sitting or laying down. Even with the lightest exercises, your day surprise just how much better anyone would feel. Perhaps a group of you can gather around and participate in very light group exercises that even your elderly loved one can do. You'll be surprised how far a half hour worth of light exercise can go. Even the lightest exercises can probably help you feel better, but you'll feel more energized. The secret is in increasing blood flow through light exercise. There are a number of light exercises that anyone can do when their physical activity is limited. Even bedbound and wheelchair-bound people can do them and feel much better afterwards, especially the next day.

So glad the hear that sleeping a lot and doing nothing seems to be the norm for dementia patients. Mom seems perfectly content to sit on the couch all day dozing, watching tv or just staring out into space. She still has a good appetite and I always take that as a good sign but gave up long ago trying to interest her in any type of activity. I guess it's the normal progression for dementia (and getting older).

Dementia also causes despair. Also tr 92, her general circulation is not the way it used to be, so her energy levels are not high. The reason for the normal vital sign readings is called 'homeostasis.' It is the way we are made to keep functioning against all odds.

My wife is at a senior psych unit for eval and when I go up to see her she is always laying in the bed . Sometimes she is sleeping and sometimes she just lays there with her eyes closed and when I talk to her she does answer me but carrying on a conversation is not possible. She says she is not tired but the staff says she lays down a lot. She was starting to lay down before she went to the unit so like valencom wrote it's, and it's sad to say, that this is life. It's hard for me to see her this way, with dementia, but she is still my hon and I'll be there for her.

valencom..... perfectly said!!

It's been my experience that when the elderly slow down -- both mentally and physically -- they SLOW DOWN. Their whole physiology slows down, which is a prologue to dying. Things tire them out more quickly, crises take a bigger toll on them emotionally and physically, and what we see as small exertions are huge for them. Be patient, it's all part of the stages of life. One of the major indicators is sleeping a lot more as well. Appetites dwindle, talking decreases, and things kinds of 'go out' like a candle burning down. It is indeed hard to watch, because we're witnessing them 'leaving' us little by little. But God is waiting for them on the other side.

My dad is 91yrs old...he sleeps a lot, eats and watches tv. Why wouldn't this be normal for most people that old??

My mom did the same th ing. some days didn't even dress just sat on the couch in her nightgown and watched TV. Didn't eat much. Had a crisis with her heart ( a Fib) and ended up in the hospital. Now in a skilled nursing facility. Much the same as before. SHe is 96 and I think just tired out. Meds have been adjusted, UTI treated etc but I think her body is just slowing down. She is pain free but just tired most of the time. Hard to watch. But I agree with taking your cues from her. If she wants to rest most of the day, so be it.

Could it be the heat?

I think you can just let her rest and take your cues from her as to her activity levels.

My mother is much the same way. She is 88 with some type of dementia. Her vitals are good, but she doesn't want to do anything but watch TV. Today she stayed on the couch all day -- something new for her. She had woke up very cross this morning and I think it was her way of withdrawing. At 92, that your mother doesn't want to be active isn't surprising. I wish it weren't so, but changing it takes constant nagging. My mother will get up early on Sunday. She likes going to church, so she gets up an eager beaver. That is always good to see. She is comfortable going to church.