Hi @judimahoney
My husband, also has some personality changes and childlike behaviors. He has Vascular Dementia following 5 known strokes, since 2018, and MRIs showing chronic, ongoing “silent” lacunar strokes, secondary to CAD. His strokes have each been in different areas of his brain, including the Frontal Lobe, which affects inhibition ( no or less filter) and thought processing. Our loved ones with cognitive decline can have these changes due to different areas being damaged, chemical changes affecting neurotransmitters - and a phenomenon called TIMESHIFTING. At times believing/perceiving they are in another, simpler time of their life.

With his Vascular Dementia, until his last stroke in October, he was having mostly slower, executive functioning, and thought process processing. However, he’s had a sharp decline in short term memory the last couple months, and what I’ve noticed, especially when our kids or grands visit, is that he perks up and tries harder than the apathy that we know comes with dementia. This “ show timing” is his attempt to appear to be doing better for them ( also doctors), and it results in him making up for the short-term memory by telling them stories from childhood and his teens and 20s. When in this mode, his personality is different and he will laugh inappropriately. Like in pseudo-bulbar effect, but this isn’t a constant symptom for him.

Like you’ve mentioned here and any other posts, a huge sugar craving. Making any dietary changes at this point isn’t going to reverse my husband‘s decline, and eating what he likes is one of the few pleasures he has at this point, so it’s not an issue. He otherwise will say he doesn’t have an appetite is eating much less. However, if I just prepare and provide him snacks and meals he likes, he eats them.

Our brains and memory are interesting and complex! Watching the changes in our loved, as they lose part of themselves and become someone we don’t recognize is debilitating and exhausting. I don’t know about you, and other others here, Judi, but I feel like I’ve been living in a state of limbo and anticipatory grief, since 2018.

But I/ we are blessed to have 5 grown children, 3 in our local area, and also grandchildren, who are all supportive and have been a big help to me as a caregiver. Until the last two strokes, I think they were in a state of denial and also just not seeing the changes in their father in short visits and phone calls that we as caregivers see on a daily basis, so that was a huge stressor for me.

Finding this community of caregivers has really helped, along with making self-care and interests a priority, especially knowing that as he declines, these will become even more challenging.
“Dementia Darling” on Facebook and Instagram is also a positive and helpful resource.Take care all