I experienced this with my Father just a day before he passed away. He hadn't spoke in days and I had just recently graduated from College and I told my Dad that I got the job at the Hospital that I really wanted and he sat up in bed and told me that he was so proud of me and laid back down and never spoke again.
My dad had severe dementia for the last five or so years of his life. He was alone and I was responsible for his daily care. This afforded me a close look at how the disease progressed and presented itself in his case.
What’s not mentioned here but is the common experience of people who spend regular time with dementia sufferers is that their memory waxes and wanes. My dad would typically experience a few weeks (a “good spell”) of relative lucidity during which he would sometimes recall previously forgotten memories (who I was, where he was, roughly what year it was) followed by a few weeks (“bad spell”) of more severe forgetfulness and confusion. The overall trend was always toward cognitive loss, but it was typical for him to temporarily recall something he’d forgotten previously.
I’m not sure how different terminal lucidity is from this, other than since the retrieved memory of TL happens shortly before death, the recollection is associated with the death and somehow seen as a more substantial recollection than those that are common to most people with dementia. Another factor could be that near death, loved ones who don’t often see the dementia sufferer and who don’t have a solid cognitive baseline from which to base a perceived departure are mistaking the recollection as particularly unusual.
Anecdotally, though my dad would sometimes amaze me with signs of lucidity during the years of his decline, they were short-lived, and he did not demonstrate terminal lucidity before he died.
If researchers are truly interested in learning about the nature of dementia-related memory loss, they should take on the daunting task of embedding themselves in memory care facilities and regularly talking with residents long before they’re near death to establish individual baselines for judging terminal lucidity should it present itself.
My mother hadn't spoken in days because of the CA induced encephalopathy . I kissed her goodnight in her hospital room and told her I loved her. As I was approaching the door (she was in a window bed), I heard her say "I love you, too." She clearly mustered everything she had to say it and it wasn't just parroting because she added the word 'too'. She knew. I take it as the last gift she gave me.
Solid breakdown of a phenomenon that's bizarrely understudied given the stakes. The observer bias section is important but I think the cultural consistency across centuries adds weight to at least some reports being real. Spent time working with dementia patients years ago and saw what could've been minor lucid moments, though nothing this dramatic. If even the brain swelling reduction hypothesis is right, seems like a relativel ystraightforward test compared to what we invest in marginally effective treatments.
I experienced this with my Father just a day before he passed away. He hadn't spoke in days and I had just recently graduated from College and I told my Dad that I got the job at the Hospital that I really wanted and he sat up in bed and told me that he was so proud of me and laid back down and never spoke again.
Substack needs a love button
+1 <3
Oh, I can MAKE hearts. I just want to be able to click on the 'love' word, not just the like. <3 <3
My dad had severe dementia for the last five or so years of his life. He was alone and I was responsible for his daily care. This afforded me a close look at how the disease progressed and presented itself in his case.
What’s not mentioned here but is the common experience of people who spend regular time with dementia sufferers is that their memory waxes and wanes. My dad would typically experience a few weeks (a “good spell”) of relative lucidity during which he would sometimes recall previously forgotten memories (who I was, where he was, roughly what year it was) followed by a few weeks (“bad spell”) of more severe forgetfulness and confusion. The overall trend was always toward cognitive loss, but it was typical for him to temporarily recall something he’d forgotten previously.
I’m not sure how different terminal lucidity is from this, other than since the retrieved memory of TL happens shortly before death, the recollection is associated with the death and somehow seen as a more substantial recollection than those that are common to most people with dementia. Another factor could be that near death, loved ones who don’t often see the dementia sufferer and who don’t have a solid cognitive baseline from which to base a perceived departure are mistaking the recollection as particularly unusual.
Anecdotally, though my dad would sometimes amaze me with signs of lucidity during the years of his decline, they were short-lived, and he did not demonstrate terminal lucidity before he died.
If researchers are truly interested in learning about the nature of dementia-related memory loss, they should take on the daunting task of embedding themselves in memory care facilities and regularly talking with residents long before they’re near death to establish individual baselines for judging terminal lucidity should it present itself.
My mother hadn't spoken in days because of the CA induced encephalopathy . I kissed her goodnight in her hospital room and told her I loved her. As I was approaching the door (she was in a window bed), I heard her say "I love you, too." She clearly mustered everything she had to say it and it wasn't just parroting because she added the word 'too'. She knew. I take it as the last gift she gave me.
<3
Solid breakdown of a phenomenon that's bizarrely understudied given the stakes. The observer bias section is important but I think the cultural consistency across centuries adds weight to at least some reports being real. Spent time working with dementia patients years ago and saw what could've been minor lucid moments, though nothing this dramatic. If even the brain swelling reduction hypothesis is right, seems like a relativel ystraightforward test compared to what we invest in marginally effective treatments.