My Ten Years Of Searching To Reverse My Mom’s Dementia

Supplements such as turmeric and healthy foods give hope.

For the past ten years or so, my mom has been living with dementia. It’s been a long and challenging journey for me, as well as my siblings, who often have struggled with the challenges of caring for a loved one with dementia.

For starters, dementia refers to a set of symptoms caused by disorders of the brain. Alzheimer’s Disease is the most common type of dementia, accounting for up to 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases.

The Beginning

I can remember when my mom shared signs of this disease. One day, my Dad called me to tell me that he had found my mom wandering outside her home, unable to understand how to turn the keys to her house. My siblings shrugged this off and figured she was tired. During this time, we were all busy with our lives, and I immersed myself in my career and personal relationships. My mom was home most days alone. She had few friends outside her family; shopped alone, and spent time with herself.

It was clear that she had to be monitored. I would rush from work to check in on my mom. As the disease progressed, my mom displayed incredibly concerning actions. She would spend hours moving things around her makeup box. She had forgotten how to watch television and preferred to leave her clothes in disarray. I remember feeling surprised when her personality suddenly changed. She would sometimes have angry outbursts or resort to short, crying fits. Her extreme personality soon disappeared, replaced by a quiet, thoughtful temperament.

Physical Body Changes

Her legs were getting progressively weaker, and it reached a point where she could no longer live at her home, which was accessible via a long staircase. With the help of a walker, she could enter the walk-up building where I lived. Fortunately, since I worked from home, I could make meals for her between breaks.

She couldn’t be left alone because I once found her wandering outside the hallway. I had to put in a special lock that prevented her from opening the door independently. My bookshelf was not safe. Once, I discovered the front page torn off the cover of one of my favourite Nietsche books.

At times, my mom perked up whenever I played music videos of old favourites like Frank Sinatra, Tony Benedict and others.

When she needed help dressing, then that’s when I knew her mind was deteriorating.

My Search For Naturopathic Medicine and Foods

I was getting increasingly worried. Although she had regular visits with her long-time family doctor, he didn’t prescribe her anything to help with memory loss. It was devastating. Even today, my mom is currently not taking any medication for her condition. This may have been due to her advanced age because she wasn’t diagnosed with dementia until her middle eighties.

I took it upon myself to read up on the latest home remedies for dementia. I read dozens of studies on various supplements that offered hope. I also read up on food items that touted the benefits of coconut oil, turmeric powder, yams, ginkgo biloba, green tea, turmeric powder, and coenzyme Q10 and even purchased a few bottles of the supplement.

Still, over time, my mom’s speech became impaired, and she often talked in garbled sentences, repeating herself. She slept longer and couldn’t be coaxed from her afternoon sleep.

And then, one day, she no longer spoke. On rare days, she laughs a little but is more inclined to nod and grunt. It would be a good day for us if we saw her eyes fully open and she accepted our blended soups and meals.

(Above photo: by author: my mom was admitted to the hospital in early 2024. We never doubted she would leave healthy.)

She spent the first two weeks of 2024 in the hospital, recovering from an infection, and we suspect an adverse reaction to the COVID-19 shot. There were times when things looked dire. There were days when we saw her more unconscious than awake. We prayed as she lay hooked up to various intravenous fluids. Slowly but surely, her condition began to improve. Each day, I would ask the nurses when she could go home. She failed the first swallow test, but after some urging, we insisted on another test. This time, she passed.

When the doctor said she could go home, we were ecstatic. I appreciated the doctor’s positive attitude. He gave us encouraging advice when he mentioned that we could return her to the hospital if her energy levels were low again.

Miraculously, at 97 years old, she eventually left the hospital to live at home.

Every day is a new day for us as we continue to navigate the disease. Her health continues to be monitored because she is experiencing unexplained hair loss and some soreness in her legs.

We are not alone

I understand that we are not alone with this issue. Others are experiencing a similar situation. It’s estimated that there are more than 55 million people around the globe with dementia. It’s also been reported that there are 10 million new cases yearly.

Years earlier, I didn’t know too many people whose families had dementia. These days, it is easier to find them.

In the hospital bed next to my mom, I discovered the patient was an older woman in the early stages of dementia. Despite the heavy snow, her retired husband dutifully visited her. He was mildly annoyed at the woman’s tendency to repeat herself and her need for his constant attention.

This Man Was Her Sole Caregiver

Her husband spoke to me of his previous job working in the military. They used to travel a lot and now, in their twilight years, he was her primary caregiver. He said the cost of putting her in a care home was outside his finances.

Falling Outside Their Shared Bed

I could see the tiredness in his eyes. Her agitation also caused some physical injuries when her tossing in their bed caused him to fall and hit the floor. I also learned that their daughter was out of the country working.

How Did My Mom Get Dementia?

We think this could be traced to my mom’s post-surgery condition.

She showed signs of memory loss shortly after her admittance to the hospital for a hip injury and subsequent surgery.

One thing she had taken was general anesthesia. Did this cause her dementia? Sometime later, my sister had an A-Ha moment and felt that it was possible to link the use of general anesthetic to her mental decline. I quickly went online to research her theory and discovered, to my amazement, that there seemed to be a connection!

Research on this topic points out some interesting studies. One study points out cognitive decline is associated with anesthesia and surgery in older patients. Another study in 2014 observed an increase in dementia after surgery in patients who were aged 50 and older. I don’t recall us being told any risks of dementia during my mom’s pre-surgical discussions.

Let’s be clear about this: there are organizations, like the Alzheimer’s group in the UK, that declare there is no definitive link between anesthesia and dementia. The site says that research is being conducted to look into this connection.

In the meantime, a few years ago, when my dad was admitted to the hospital for surgery, my sister insisted that the medical staff not use general anesthesia on him because of possible cognitive risks. Fortunately, one staff member agreed, and my dad was given a local anesthetic, which allowed him to remain conscious during surgery. My father, who passed away in 2022, fortunately, didn’t suffer from dementia in the last few years of his life.

Is there a life lesson in this? I think so. Patients and their family members must be aware of possible risks during surgery, particularly for older patients, which should be discussed with their doctors.

We also have to be our advocate or advocate for the safety of other family members.

Continued Search To Find Food Items To Improve Her Condition

Lately, I have cooked sweet potatoes for my mom because I read somewhere that it showed promising results for people with cognition issues. Recently, I located an Asian supermarket that sold caseloads of sweet potatoes.

(below: author’s photo)

Final Thoughts

I feel that the medical community must work harder to find a cure for dementia. More research needs to be done to find ways to reverse this worldwide disease.

The supplements that I have regularly used in my mom’s meals may have slowed down her disease. However, because I am not a health professional, I can only document her life changes over the years. She has outlived her elderly family doctor as well as members of her own family. Her husband was five years younger than herself.

(above: my mom and cat)

It’s been very challenging caring for my mom at home. Thankfully, I have the backing of my large family to help out. However, I feel that every day I am with her is a gift and not to be taken for granted.

It is a miracle that my mom is 97 years old, is alive and relatively well. Is the combination of her healthy foods making a difference? I hope so.

I have yet to find the supplement or food item to reverse my mom’s dementia fully. It may require the help of someone with Madam Curie's attributes and Elon Musk's money power to find the ultimate cure for dementia. I hope this day will happen soon because so many millions of people are affected by this disease, and their families are counting on it.

That’s all today. Do you know of someone with Alzheimer’s Disease? What are your experiences in this area? Are you aware of a superfood that has benefitted a family member?

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