My mother is 80 years old and has early onset dementia and Osteoporosis. She has lost a lot of weight and is down to 93 pounds. She doesn't feel like eating and says she isn't hungry even when her stomach is growling. My sister and I have tried everything to get her to eat more including having her try Ensure and other similar drinks which she refuses. Recently we took her to the doctor who is very concerned about her weight loss. He also said that my sister and I should discuss whether or not to have surgery on my mother to remove an enlarged artery sitting on her abdomen. The doctor is keeping an eye on any development but is concerned because it could enlarge and burst and kill her. He said we could decide on surgery but because of her weight and the fact that she has no 'reserves' left for her body to fight against any kind of infection it might make the surgery risky. There is the possibility of infection, stroke or a fatal heart attack with any surgery but especially surgery on an artery in the abdominal area. He told my sister and I to think about it and discuss it with my mom (which isn't easy considering that her dementia makes her easily confused and frightened about everything). My concern is that her low body weight might make her surgery riskier than it normally would be. My fear, of course, is that if we leave it alone the artery could swell and burst and kill her instantly. I have no idea what to do.
Ask what the anesthesia is like. For dementia patients, anesthesia generally seems to accelerate the progress of the dementia. If this is a procedure that can be done in a minimally invasive way, then you might consider it. If it's a big surgery which will involve being immobilized, tubes, etc, that seems like it would be very confusing and frightening for mom.
Would it increase the quality of her day to day life?
It's a tough decision you have to make. I don't envy you. May I suggest that you read up on dementia/Alzheimers disease, if you haven't already. Especially noting the stages of the disease so you will be fully informed of what your Mom's future may look like, it may help you make a decision. I know I may sound harsh in my comment but after watching my own Mom slowly dying from dementia, it is a horrible way to go. If I was you I would not have the surgery done and I would enjoy every day I could with her.
1. Is this surgery going to reverse her weight loss?
2. Is this surgery going to improve the QUALITY of her life or just extend it?
3. What does the post surg recovery look like for a patient with dementia? Will she need to be kept sedsted? What are the implications of being bedridden for many days on her mobility?
4. What are her chances of improvement through pt?
5. What are the risks to her cognition from anesthesia ?