My father came home from the nursing home after surgery.While in the NH he had a bad case of Sundowners. All the symptons though sounded exactly like Alzheimers. So how do you know if he has Sundowners or if he has Alzheimers? I'm hoping it's Sundowners because they say sometimes while in their own environment after time they may normalize. The other thing I don't understand is it seems that my dad goes in and out of dementia, like two personalities. The demented one has extreme mood swings and all the typical symptoms of dementia/Alzheimers. Then sometimes on all too rare occasions the sun breaks through and for a short time he is suddenly like his old self.Is this common?
This will site will answer your questions. http://sundownerfacts.com/sundowners-syndrome/ Moments or short periods of clarity were not an unusual with my DW during the earlier stages of the disease. Anesthesia is a well documented major concern for AD sufferers
Sunflower, welcome to this site, and I hope you will feel the love and support we offer. I don't know how old our father is, or any details of his medical history, so all I can offer is the suggestion that you talk to his doctor. He will be able answer your questions, and if he doesn't, get another doctor who will. The only thing that I can offer is that older people often have what appear to be mental/emotional problems after long anesthesia - particularly heart surgery - but after about 3 months seem to be back to normal. Perhaps your father needs to be seen by a neurologist or a geriatrist, but your family doctor would be the one to make a referral (that is how it works here in Canada). Let us know how things progress. Best of luck.
sunflower, sundowning is a symptom of dementia-they are not two different illnesses. The dementia may have been induced by the anesthesia and could be temporary. The best advice is to have your father go see his doctor (with you of course) and see what his doctor has to say.