Question

Originally asked by Community Member Danyell

What Are Final Stages And How Long After Being Taken Off Meds Would Someone Live?

What are the final stages before death with Alzheimer/Dimentia patients? How long would it take a person to pass on once taken off all medications? My husbands Grandmother is in a nursing home and has been for 10 years now. She has been living with Alzheimer’s/Dimentia for years now and the last two months she has really gone down hill. She remembers no one and she refuses to eat. She has lost 46 pounds in two months. She lays in bed most of the day and sleeps. When she is awake she humms songs. The doctor has taken her off all medications. The doctor said she probably would not live through the holiday.

Answer

Hi, Danyell,

I know how difficult your situation is. Here’s additional information on the stages of Alzheimer’s:

http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/symptom-checker-000002_8-145.html

As far as how long your husband’s grandmother will live, I’m not sure what to tell you. Does she have other health issues? In my mom’s case, she had Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease as well as Alzheimer’s. Her lungs were the cause of her death, although Alzheimer’s contributed. My grandmother also had dementia, and lived a long time in a nursing home. The cause of death in her case was pneumonia. So as your husband’s grandmother gets weaker, she may contract an illness from others at the nursing home that ultimately may be the cause of her death.

Take care and keep us posted!

Dorian

You should know Answers to your question are meant to provide general health information but should not replace medical advice you receive from a doctor. No answers should be viewed as a diagnosis or recommended treatment for a condition.

Answered by: Dorian Martin