Hi. I am wondering if anyone has dealt with this before. My dad died in August of this year and he suffered from LBD. My mother had a very hard time as his caregiver. My dad was 86 and my mom is 81... he died at home. My mom is having a tough time dealing with my dad’s absence and suddenly is showing signs of dementia. She asks me every night where my dad is. She was there when he died... she was there when we buried him... he was a veteran and the flag sits in a case in the house yet she still asks. Could she suddenly have dementia? Is this part of loss? I had her get an MRI done and it showed some shrinkage but doesn’t everyone’s brain shrink a little with age? Why is she only forgetting about my dad's death? Could this be a way of coping? How will I go through this again if it is dementia....
I obviously dont know if that is the case here, and I think others have given you good advice to rule out other potential causes, but I do think these symptoms can be part of grief and mourning.
My sweet mother in law was thrown completely out of loop when her husband died. She was 81, he was 89 . Besides bad knees he was in good health, still mowing 2 acres, driving and cooking, she didn't have to care for him at all. She knew he died, but couldn't remember where he died! She was confused on a lot of things. It was literally like parts of her memory were completely wiped away! It REALLY concerned my husband and I, but after a few months she was fine, albeit never remembering key parts of the last few weeks surrounding his death. She does suffer from anxiety issues now.