Many people who care for those with Alzheimer’s can often tell you about times where their loved one has had moments of complete, stunning lucidity. Sometimes it lasts only a few moments, other times a few hours, even sometimes an entire day.
Some caregivers have reported that their loved one with AD actually had an entire week of relative clarity. And then, her dementia returned.
As the illness gets worse, the lucid episodes will happen less often. But when they do happen, it can be a very striking and precious time.
A recent article in Huffington Post provides a few examples of the author’s experiences with this momentary lucidity in her husband, who has Alzheimer’s. She had an interview a few years ago for a new job and it went well. She went back for another interview and it also went well, but she was sad that she would not be able to share it with her husband, as he could not understand. She had told him about the job possibility a month earlier and he could not understand anything.
However, after the second interview, she decided to tell him about it, and shockingly, he completely understood! He said, ‘that’s wonderful! Congratulations! With all of your talents, you are sure to get the job!” Her ‘old’ husband was back, if only for a few moments.
Those lucid moments can last in some cases, and it also may allow the person to be aware briefly that they have dementia. This obviously can be painful for both the caregiver and the patient.
One day, the husband with AS in the case above was looking at the newspaper and was upset that he was not able to understand all of the news stories. He looked up at his wife with a sad expression and said, ‘I’m very confused, perhaps I should go to a place where they take care of mental patients.’ This was a very sad moment for both of them, but it showed that people with AS can have moments of total clarity, which is not what we normally hear about.
Has your loved one ever had lucid moments? Please share them with us.