How long can an alzheimers patient live without eating or drinking?
412187
It should only be a few days, but I've had people live for up to a week and a 1/2 - 2 weeks. The body can't live very long w/o water but people sometimes do live longer than expected. A lot of the time families will have the doctor put in a feeding tube to give them nourishment, but if a person stops eating and drinking then that usually means they are ready to go and using the feeding tube is keeping them from passing. You have to think about what they would have wanted. I wish you well.
357227
Yes, there are.  You can start with the Alzheimer's Association and they can direct you to your state or local chapter and when they have meetings.  My dad's in a study for a new Alzheimer's drug at Yale and there's a support group there--I don't know if it's part of the study or part of the hospital.  So you might want to check with area hospitals and also assisted living facilities.\nIt is extremely difficult to watch someone you care about be erased by this disease.  Having someone to talk to helps a lot.
271233
It will take about 40 days for them to deplete their stores.  Then they will start decaying, because their body will start consuming your muscles, etc, and you will start starving.\n\nThis is provided you drink, because it is doubtful you could make it more than a week without water.
624908
I'm not a doctor, but I'm pretty sure you can eat normally unless it makes you nauseus or you have trouble...passing the food.\n\nYou don't HAVE to eat. It won't kill you to go a couple of days just drinking juice and eating fruit and toast. Just do whatever your body tells you.
1026794
I went 4 days without eating or drinking when my Fiance went back to Iraq, I was so scared something would happen to him and I missed him so much that I did nothing but cry. Longest without sleep was probably a day and a half.
668393
the answer is 6-10 minutes if u are healthy, the question was how long u can LIVE not stay conscious. therefore the body organs and cells can last from 6-10 minutes.furthermore 4-6 minutes without minutes without breathing the cells begin to deteriorate, then 6-10 minutes without breathing the cells begin to die. u can only be resucitated after 10 minutes ONLY if your core temperature is well below normal hypothermic.
186747
Most cases of Alzheimer's disease become apparent after the age of 65.  A small percentage of cases can occur in genetically susceptible people at a much younger age.
875920
Generally they can eat what ever they want, whether that be a cup of plain sugar or a sugar free piece of bread, as long as the medications that they are taking compensate for the amount of sugar and carbohydrates that they consume.\nI've had diabetes for 25 years and I have 2 cups of vanilla ice cream (and no it's not that "sugar-free" crap either) with butter scotch and chocolate fudge toppings every night for the past few years and my A1C is 6.2. \nSo go ahead and eat whatever your heart desires, just remember to take enough medications or insulin to compensate for what you are eating.
629649
Perhaps surprisingly, humans can subsist for some time without food. I depends on the fat content of the individual's body to begin with, but one to two months is not unheard of. At that point, the body is so weakened that the heart literally does not have the strength to continue beating.\n\nWater is much more essential. A human will thirst to death in as little as four days, though if they remain inactive throughout the period, it is possible to last as long as three weeks, at the extreme. Most people will perish in seven to ten days, however.
343015
Very little is known at this point as to what causes Alzheimers.  Family history is a known risk factor.  Cheese consumption is not.
686445
they live for up to 48 hours on their quest for the egg.  then they will be passed or absorbed once they die.
1108416
i don't think so, so no. they will never die, but their hunger status will be like something that makes you think they are dieing.
1154365
It took me over a year of solitary struggle before I wised up and contacted my local (150 miles away!) Alzheimer's support group... It was the best thing I could have done for both of us! They have excellent information on every aspect of caring for you, your family and the one affected. \nIf it is a close family member (in my case my mom) who lives with you, this disease will impact every facet of your life and can rapidly become overwhelming. The support provided by others in the same situation can be priceless.\nThere is so much you can do to make everyone's life so much easier... from learning how to prevent inadvertently making your loved ones mental outlook worse to helping your children deal with the changes and irrationality. (I have provided a link below to a Chapter search.) They have a good information packet they can send and meetings you can attend if you are close enough. \nMy heart and prayers go out to you... This disease can be devastating for all involved. It can also have moments you will forever treasure as you help your loved one through this final transition with compassion and understanding.\nMy mother is gone now and though it was the most difficult and traumatic 5 years I ever endured, I don't regret one day of the experience.
992110
I hope you are ready to hear this, but she may be getting ready to die. Have you looked into nursing homes? When it gets to be too much for you to handle, you might want to look into hospice care, they help the patient and the family for the inevitable. But when a person stops eating, they have given up and are preparing to die. When looking at nursing homes, don't get freaked out by the price, because they usually don't stay too long. I'm going through this with my dad right now, actually he wants to go because he knows its getting too hard for mom to take care of him. Best wishes.
289659
I'll try to be detailed but make it simple at the same time.  I'll tell you this as if you are about to have to go through Alzheimer's with a member of your family. I can tell you what it's like up-close and personal. My grandmother suffered with it for over 10 years before passing away a few years ago.  I was around her a lot so I'll tell you what I tell people:\n1.  It's a disease in which the victim loses more and more of their memory over time - most of the time it severely affects ones short-term memory.  \n2.  Because of this short-term memory loss one of the first noticeable effects is the continual repeating of the same questions.  It can get to where the same question is asked every 30 seconds - simple questions like "Where are we going?" And the repetition every 30 seconds is no exaggeration.\n3.  The next thing to go is personal hygiene.  People forget to shower, use the bathroom, and do normal things we learn as kids.  They begin to have to be taken care of constantly. \nSimply put - a victim reverts backwards in age and by the time he/she reach the severe stages of the disease they HAVE to be watched like a baby.  It's the most hopeless thing to have to experience...
879042
all you can do is keep low sodium stuff in the house. with dementia no she wont remember what you tell her and once they make up their mind about something there is no changing it. good luck, it's a tough disease to deal with
362675
He'll be fine.  It's like when you accidently eat a tiny piece of paper stuck to an ice cream sandwich...it just comes out the other end, if you know what I mean.  It won't lead to Alzheimers...