My mother's memory started slipping a little at a time for about a year but in March 2023 it was like a switch flipped and she went into full blown dementia. By July of 23 she couldn't do one thing for herself. She had sundowners that would kick in around 1pm every day. When she started fidgeting with her blanket you knew it was about to get tough. Seroquel was a good medicine that would help to calm her...

My brother and I cared for her ourselves with the help of a couple of sitters. Also, one of my close friends is an internal medicine MD and was always there for us to help with all the health problems that Mom developed. Even with these resources, by September we knew that she needed skilled care.

We got her in the Hanceville Nursing Home in October and she died at the end of Janurary. The last month that she lived she slept all the time. She eventually forgot how to swallow and couldn't eat or take any meds..

Looking back, I should have gone ahead and got her into the nursing home sooner. We were killing ourselves trying to handle everything. It especially took a toll on my brother who was prone to have bouts of depression anyway.