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My wife is 81 physically healthy. The past couple years using alcohol to controlling aggressiveness, swearing when mad or extreme agitation. A doctor who specializes in dementia recommended alcohol. I want to clarify the recommendation was NOT during a dr visit but in a social setting. Quick acting and no side effects and so comforting to her. She would calm down and knew this made her feel better. Before the fall she was doing well and had not consumed any alcohol, slipped after putting lotion on her foot.
Fall resulted in head hitting fiberglass bath tub. Used ice pack couple times and swelling subsided. Daughter and I noticed mental decline so emergency room visit 7 days later. We’ve done follow up visit with provider. Blood test show low electrolytes which I’m addressing. Scheduled MRI for brain scan and ultra sound for thyroid but that’s 3 weeks away. Seems like a long wait to get results, any thoughts or recommendations?

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Look up Hippocampus. I now think my Mom damaged hers after she hit her head. She was having some cognitive decline but it sped up after her head injury.
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Reply to JoAnn29
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I think a lot of times the frail elderly are balancing on the precipice and any little thing can be the catalyst of a decline, including falls, infections, and illnesses that would have been minor if they were younger and/or more robust.
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Reply to cwillie
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Yes, a fall will bring on more rapid cognitive decline.

And a doctor who specializes in dementia recommended alcohol. Who told you this? Were you there yourself? I have never heard of worse advice, particularly from a doctor. Of dementia. Ye gods.

Alcohol is toxic. Alcohol is a Class 1 carcinogen. Alcohol causes brain damage. Alcohol shrinks brain volume and harms gray and white matter, affecting how signals are sent between parts of the brain. Alcohol affects memory. Alcohol can damage brain cells so that vitamins cannot be absorbed (or electrolytes), and that damages and kills brain cells. Alcohol raises risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke from dysfunctioning blood flow. Alcohol causes problems with short-term memory. Alcohol causes difficulty with executive function. Alcohol causes change in fluid density in the inner ear, which regulates balance, and the effect of alcohol lingers into the next day or longer. Then there's irritability, apathy, mood swings, unsteady walking (even if haven't had a drink for a while), and lack of coordination. A daily drinker with a central nervous system that demands its "medicine" can have withdrawal symptoms that include shakiness, trembling, whatever, that you might not detect unless you're paying strict attention. LOOK UP WERNICKE-KORSAKOFF SYNDROME.

Note: Your wife is no longer physically healthy.

Another note: There are plenty of fine medications in this world that could have treated her aggressiveness and irritability. Some are very small tablets that you just put under the tongue and they dissolve. The patient doesn't need to know that you've given it to them, and they act within 15 minutes or maybe even less.

Be sure to let her specialists know about the alcohol "treatment." They need to understand that they are not only treating a cognitively declining patient with a possible brain injury but also one who may be addicted to alcohol.

Also, make sure she no longer drives.

I can't express how angry this "diagnosis" and "treatment" leading to injury makes me, because it wouldn't have had to be.
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Reply to Fawnby
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The ER should have done either an MRI or Cat Scan when your wife was there originally as that would have detected a brain bleed from the fall or not. To me it certainly sounds like she now has a brain bleed which is making her cognitive issues more pronounced. And then you add alcohol on top of it. Good God...you just can't make this sh*t up can you?
I would most certainly find a new doctor as any doctor that would recommend alcohol for anyone(on the clock or not) should lose their license and not be allowed to practice. I'm just saying.
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Reply to funkygrandma59
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Fawnby Sep 20, 2026
The doctor who recommended this horrific "treatment" should lose their license as soon as they get out of rehab. If, that is, there was such a doctor and it really happened.
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Many years ago, my mom, who didn't have dementia at the time, fell and hit the back of her head on the front stoop. She had a big bump and it hurt, but otherwise she seemed okay. A few weeks later, she mentioned that one of her legs felt unusual (sorry, I don't remember the exact symptoms). My sister said mom should be seen by her physician. It turned out mom had a subdural hematoma, which could have caused permanent injury and maybe even death.
I suggest you take your wife to an ER right away.
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Reply to Rosered6
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I would take her to a trauma hospital in a metropolitan area where this type issue is successfully treated.
This based on my FIL falling on a concrete patio and going through quite the ordeal before getting him the care he needed. He was being “observed” at a rural hospital and fast tracked on his way to an NH until we got him away from them.
Alcohol is toxic.
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Reply to 97yroldmom
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This website is not working properly anymore and repeats comments over and over again with no option to edit 😑
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Reply to lealonnie1
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Any time a head injury takes place, the brain moves inside the skull and cognition worsens. I don't know that anything can be done while waiting for the MRI.

And alcohol is known to worsen cognitive issues, so whatever doctor is recommending the consumption of it should not be practicing medicine in social settings or elsewhere.

"Why Alcohol is Not Recommended for Dementia Patients

Worsened Cognitive Decline: Alcohol is a neurotoxin that can accelerate brain cell damage and worsen memory, confusion, and judgment.

Dangerous Medication Interactions: Most dementia patients take prescription drugs for memory, mood, behavioral symptoms, or other health conditions. Alcohol frequently interacts poorly with these medications, causing extreme drowsiness, dizziness, or severe side effects.

Increased Risk of Falls: Dementia already affects balance, coordination, and spatial awareness. Adding alcohol significantly raises the risk of dangerous falls and broken bones.

Behavioral Changes: Alcohol can increase agitation, aggression, anxiety, and wandering behaviors common in dementia."

Best of luck to your wife.
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Reply to lealonnie1
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Any time a head injury takes place, the brain moves inside the skull and cognition worsens. I don't know that anything can be done while waiting for the MRI.

And alcohol is known to worsen cognitive issues, so whatever doctor is recommending the consumption of it should not be practicing medicine in social settings or elsewhere.

"Why Alcohol is Not Recommended for Dementia Patients

Worsened Cognitive Decline: Alcohol is a neurotoxin that can accelerate brain cell damage and worsen memory, confusion, and judgment.

Dangerous Medication Interactions: Most dementia patients take prescription drugs for memory, mood, behavioral symptoms, or other health conditions. Alcohol frequently interacts poorly with these medications, causing extreme drowsiness, dizziness, or severe side effects.

Increased Risk of Falls: Dementia already affects balance, coordination, and spatial awareness. Adding alcohol significantly raises the risk of dangerous falls and broken bones.

Behavioral Changes: Alcohol can increase agitation, aggression, anxiety, and wandering behaviors common in dementia."

Best of luck to your wife.
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Reply to lealonnie1
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Any time a head injury takes place, the brain moves inside the skull and cognition worsens. I don't know that anything can be done while waiting for the MRI.

And alcohol is known to worsen cognitive issues, so whatever doctor is recommending the consumption of it should not be practicing medicine in social settings or elsewhere.

"Why Alcohol is Not Recommended for Dementia Patients

Worsened Cognitive Decline: Alcohol is a neurotoxin that can accelerate brain cell damage and worsen memory, confusion, and judgment.

Dangerous Medication Interactions: Most dementia patients take prescription drugs for memory, mood, behavioral symptoms, or other health conditions. Alcohol frequently interacts poorly with these medications, causing extreme drowsiness, dizziness, or severe side effects.

Increased Risk of Falls: Dementia already affects balance, coordination, and spatial awareness. Adding alcohol significantly raises the risk of dangerous falls and broken bones.

Behavioral Changes: Alcohol can increase agitation, aggression, anxiety, and wandering behaviors common in dementia."

Best of luck to your wife.
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Reply to lealonnie1
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