I am writing on behalf of a family friend. She is in her late 70s, early 80s. Her husband passed away in August of this year (2015) and she subsequently moved to an upscale retirement community to live close to one of her children. During this time, she has experienced significant weight loss, but has otherwise been healthy and remained very independent and active, socially and physically. Suddenly (within the last 10 days) she has become very confused and shows signs of memory loss. She doesn't remember moving, doesn't recognize her "new home", asks about her children and where they are (ages 50-54) repeatedly, does not recall significant family events that have happened within the last 12-18 months, is unable to carry on conversations without getting confused, can only answer questions (Who is the president? What day is it?) with great effort, but not consistently, etc. At one point she did not recall her husband's passing, then later said that she remembered he had died, but did not know when or how (he died from a long term illness).
Fearful that she was experiencing TIAs, she was taken to the doctor and admitted for testing. Blood work, CT scans, MRIs and a battery of other tests (including a visit from a psychiatrist) were conducted over a 4 day period and the doctors ruled out all medical concerns. Their conclusion was that she could be simply grieving. She is now at "home", with family taking care of her, but continues to experience confusion and her memory and ability to recall conversation and events have continued to decline even more so just in the last two days.
Her children are with her now, but are at a loss as to what could be causing these issues and it is obvious that she is unable to be left alone at this point. She is now having trouble recognizing family members and is unable to carry on a conversation with them without asking the same questions "Where is___?", "What day is it?", "Do I live here?", etc., over and over within short periods of time. All this is made even more difficult because she has (very) brief moments of lucidity when she realizes that she is having difficulty and becomes frustrated and weepy.
My question is this...in trying to support the family as they consider how to address these issues and the cause, but knowing that the doctors have ruled out any medical concerns, what should be considered? Are we missing something? Could Alzheimer's be a consideration, or is there something else that could be causing this...something the doctors' tests may not have uncovered? What questions should the family be asking her medical team? What tests and/or treatment, if any, could they request or make certain were included in her most recent visit to the hospital?
It should be noted that she coped very well (within normal reason) with her husband's death up until this past week and has been very active and sharp minded until this time, as well. She is (was), in all respects, a very "young" and healthy woman of her age until these issues transpired. Her decline seems sudden and rapid, without warning.
Thank you, in advance, for your insight and guidance as we try to solve this painful mystery.