Expert: Alanna Shaikh - 4/29/2008

Question
Mother is 81. Diagnosed May 2005. Basic med's are Aricept and Namenda. Recently she came down with shingles. Her regular-care physicians suggested she would not respond to Valtrex and that pain medication was the only response. She became very incoherent and unable to complete basic functions. I took her to the hospital where they gave her Valtrex and it did make a difference. The stay was horrible for her and me. I'm taking care of her alone and trying to keep a job. I have her home now. I'm hoping being around her surroundings will help her get back to "her normal". I cannot care for her by myself as she is now. Before the hospital stay she could cook and care for herself. Now she has a 5-6 minute memory. She is not incontinent. Cannot cook for herself and cannot understand how the water comes out of the wall in the shower. How long should I give her to get back to "her normal"? Will she get back to her normal?

Answer
Dear Robin,

I'm sorry you are dealing with something so very difficult.

I don't really have any useful advice to offer you. I really wish I did. I don't know how long you should give your mother to get back to normal. Sometimes hospital stays or other sudden changes can disorient people with Alzheimer's enough that when they return home they have lost their coping mechanisms. I don't know if your mother's will return, or when.

One thing I can suggest is to talk to her doctors about her medications. There is a small change that one of them could be causing this severe loss of cognitive ability.

My thoughts are with you.

Best,
Alanna