My 87 year old dad has had the diagnosis of Vascular Dementia for 18 months and just newly has a secondary diagnosis of Lewy Body. He is in an Advanced Care facility which has excellent care. He has had several strokes, confusion, delusions, hallucinations, Expressive Aphasia, hip fracture in 11/06.

My 82 year old mom has some type of dementia but not sure if it's more specific than senile. She loses her balance and falls. She lives in an Assisted Living facility. She refuses help from aides and refuses showers. She reads all the time. She lost her hearing and now hearing aids don't help her hear even though they work. She had Open Heart surgery 2/14/07, rehab, then fell and was knocked unconscious a few minutes in April, recovered but very depressed (has been for decades), no energy, sometimes hostile to me.

Does this happen that couples can both have LBD? How to get diagnosis for my mom, any suggestions?

Hi LemonYellow,
Welcome to the LBD forums, wow talk about a double whammy, I am sorry seems like a lot to deal with, I must say I have never heard of both Parents having LBD before but certainly doesn't mean it can't happen, I think as the word of LBD is getting out slowly we ARE hearing more and more cases, How did you get DX for your Dad? I would have her to a Neurologist who is very up on the lastest in Dementia's, Memory Clinics.
Good Luck with the findings!

No chance they farmed for a living, is there?

One of the few known risk factors for Parkinson's and related diseases is pesticide exposure; if there's an environmental cause, it wouldn't seem so weird to me that spouses could both be affected.

I agree - this is clearly one disease where intermediate outcomes (if not the end game) seem better for people being treated in referral settings (academic medical centers, especially. The difference between the standard of care in the community and what people who are being seen in the most specialized settings get is...eye-opening.

Eric

The diagnosis for LBD for my dad came from his most recent hospitalization in a Geriatric Psych unit at a college hospital. It was on the discharge papers but not told to me directly. Probably from his MRI and the fact that he is deulsional, hallucinating, and has violent verbal and physical behavior?

My parents lived in the same house in a rural area for 60 years. While not farmers, there is farmland all around the house. Both of their dads were farmers.