Onset of Dementia and Loss of Lower Body Control?

I would get to a hospital, or at the very least, contact her doctor. Any loss of control is cause for concern.

One suggestion is giving her legs a gentle massage. You can do it for her or get a professional massage done for her. A gentle lymphatic massage might be helpful This means very gentle strokes downward. How is her diet? Alot more green veggies to increase her vitamins and minerals in her body....love her just the way she is....an affirmation suggestion is: I love you, I am sorry, please forgive me and thank you.....say these to yourself as you are supporting and loving her.....this is an Hawaiian ho'oponopono technique that works remarkable well....for clearing yourself and others. Blessings, hope these ideas help!

P.,
Ask your Dr. or local Social Security Dept. or Office of Aging what is available to you for help and assistance. Don't wait until you are so fatigued and frustrated as a caregiver to ask for assitance. Many offer in-home help which depending on your parents income and type of insurance could cost you nothing. There are things out there unfortunately you may have to find them. Also if you have an acquaintance in the local hospital or Nursing home which can help you find the resources you need.
Praying for you...the caregiver. Maintain your self-care

P.,
I would get her to a hospital as quickly as possible. Loss of control of movement could possibly be a sign of a stroke, and prompt treatment is extremely important. In any case, they can evaluate her and hopefully help you figure out what it wrong - loss of movement is a significant symptom and I would rely on medical professionals to help you figure this out.

It is very important to have her diabetes controlled. If she is having high blood sugar it can cause pain in her body especially in the legs - have her doctor check to see what her blood sugar is running and then correct it by eating correctly which means low carbs or take medication to control it. But it's important to eat low carbs especially staying away from white stuff like flour, sugar, rice, bread and sugar EVEN WHEN SHE IS ON MEDICATION FOR DIABETES. The medication is not going to help if your mom eats the ''bad'' stuff. Good luck and don't forget to have her drink water throughout the day to make sure she isn't dehydrated. Dehydration can cause cramps in the legs and headaches.

A few suggestions -- First, make sure to keep the lines of communication open with your mom's physician and other healthcare providers. Changes in her status can be subtle, and it is important that her providers are fully aware of what's going on. Some doctor's offices have a nurse or a patient liaison who you can speak with, if the doctor is hard to contact. Second, keep a written log detailing your mom's condition--noting what she eats and does during the day, any medication changes or shifts/delays in when she takes her meds. This will make it easier to track her situation and keep the medical providers up-to-date. Third, check with your local hospital -- many have diabetes education centers and/or visiting nurses who may be able to help. Fourth, contact your local church/synagogue/mosque or eldercare center -- many have support groups for "sandwich generation" moms like us who care for young children and older parents. They may also have programs in which you mom and dad can participate to help deal with and learn more about living with the impact of diabetes and dimentia. Fifth, don't overlook the importance of practical considerations as you seek medical and/or spiritual support -- by this I mean, don't wait for a "cure" to do the little things in the house that may make it easier for your mom to function (reminders, tools, patterns, assistance with bodily functions and life habits, etc). Sixth, READ -- scour the internet and soak up all the info you can about your mom's medical condition and learn how others are dealing with it (just as you've turned to MamaSource!). Go to the library and get books about dimentia, loss of lower body control, etc. Lastly, are there friends of the family whom you can call upon for support, counsel and help? Often times, while we can't change the onset of illness and aging, we can soften the hardships by sharing with others and learning how they are dealing with the situation. And more important, keep in mind that your love and care may be some of the best "medicine" to help both your mom and dad as they work with the impact of these illnesses. You must truly be a blessing to them -- and your children are learning from your example.

I feel for you. My father is in the early stage of dementia. At his worst if he has any sort of infection or illness he begins to have delusions and hallucinations. The loss of control over the lower extremities is probably due to all the medical issues. People with dementia get worse when there are medical issues on board. I pray that your doctors can help get some of these things under control so that your mom regains some control back. I wish you all the best.

I have to commend you P. for being there for your parents. It seems as though when parents get older and need the help - there children are not where to be found. You are very special and unique in that you love them enough to set your life aside and help them when they need you the most. There is an old saying - a mother can take care of 10 children but 10 children cannot take care of one mother. In your case, you have proven that there are children who will care for their parents at this precious age.

I am not sure of what is causing the loss of lower body control. Are you sure she has not hurt herself in some way that maybe a something is pressing on a nerve in the back that joins to the legs?

We recently went through the same thing with my grandmother. My grandmother had open heart surgery about 2 years ago and they believed that the decreased level of oxygen during surgery was the cause of the onset of dementia. She could tell us things that happened years ago but couldnt remember from one minute to the next how much money she had on her and would constantly sit there and count it over and over again. I took her to see a geriatric psychiatrist from the recommendation of a friend whose grandfather was going through the same thing. She sent her for MRI and bloodwork (app low levels of b12 (i think)) can cause this as well. My grandmother is also a diabetic and she has never been able to get her blood sugar under control which we thought may have been a contributing factor. She got to the point where she could no longer live alone and moved in with my aunt, all the sudden she couldn't walk as well, she kept falling and couldnt get out of bed. They took her to the hospital- after running tests they found lung cancer in its end stage and it had gotten to her bones, this was no surprise to us considering she had been a heavy smoker all her life. She is currently in hospice. I am not saying that this is what the issue is but my recommendation would be to have her checked out by either her primary care doctor or take her to the ER. I hope this helps some - Good Luck.

I also just read the response below and another good book to get is Elder Rage.

For everyone's sanity, especially yours, pick up the book, "The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for Persons with Alzheimer Disease, Related Dementing Illnesses, and Memory Loss in Later Life." It will help you understand the dementia and how to properly care for your mom. Dementia can be difficult to deal with, so this book helps you as a family member understand it. It kept my mom informed and calm as she took care of her 98-year old mother with dementia. Good luck and continue to show her lots of love and support!!

I'm a nurse practitioner.....does your mother have a good internist/primary care provider? I would call your mother's physician....she likely needs to be evaluated urgently for her symptoms. It could be as simple as a metabolic problem, but could also be a stroke, etc.

Good luck to you,

C

Hi P.,
Good for you on taking care of your parents. I work as a Hospice nurse, and as for myself, I have not seen the connection with dementia and loss of limb control like that. My thoughts are maybe Guillen-Barre Syndrome. It can have a rapid or slow onset which causes loss of muscle control. In short, this can spread to the other limbs and other parts of the body. It gets worse, then it slowly gets better. There is no cure, just letting it pass thorugh and afterwards regain muscle loss. I could be wrong, but that would be my guess.I would call a doctor first thing and get her checked out. Let us know how things turn out and let me know if you have any other questions.

she needs to get checked out ASAP. If she can walk long enough to get into the car, than take her yourself. Unless her primary can give you a legit reason for this new onset/symptom.

I know you have already gotten lots of responses, but I thought I would let you know my personal and professional experience with this. My mom & grandmother both have diabetes. My grandmother has mild dementia while my father has Alzheimers (earlier stages). I am also an occupational therapist by trade, so I have worked with these things in the hospital too. I also think it is great you are taking care of your parents! My mom is caring for my father & grandmother and I can understand how difficult this can be at times. The lower body control can be two things. One it is very common for people with diabetes to get neuropathy of the lower extremities. This is where they loose feeling of there lower extremities and this can lead to issues with control. It can also be dementia too. While motor control is one of the later to go in dementia it truly depends on the patient. My dad was a very bright successful man and it was harder for others to notice the dementia because he still seemed mentally sharp most of the time. The biggest decline I have noticed for him was motor control and motor planning. It takes him significantly longer to walk from one place to the next. So. This is very dependent on the person. It will be important to keep her sugars under control though! This can have a negative affect on the body if they are too high or too low. If you ever have specific questions feel free to write me.

Last year I sent quite a bit if time flying back and forth to Florida from Maryland...My grandmother (NANA) has had two strokes and started having seizures. When we got down there to find she was living in filth and had the onset of dementia and sundowners....it is very hard to deal with someone with dementia as there are going to be alot of outbreaks of meanness. As the dementia gets worse the outbreaks and care becomes more frequent...My Nana takes medicine to slow the progression of the dementia however she needs someone to take care of the finances as she can not any longer. You will want to speak to your local elder care programs.....they can help with a nurse to come out so that you can take a break....which you will need as you will be tired! Read the books that are out there and talk to the doctors.....God Bless you and your family!

P., my mom was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) a few years ago. Her's started with her speech being slurred and she starting having difficulty swallowing. Most ALS starts from the bottom up, though...they start losing feeling in their legs, etc. Her's was opposite, which happens in about 5% of cases. It's a motor neuron disease and eventually all of the muscles become paralyzed. Difficulty breathing is another sign. Hopefully this is not what your mom has, but I would definitely go to the doctor and have them rule this out.

My mom was always the picture of health and then she got this. She passed away a year ago....she was 56. Again, I don't want to scare you, but it just really stood out to me when you talked about the loss of strength in her legs and her breathing. I pray that everything works out for your mother.