Caregiver Reports of Lucid Episodes in Alzheimer’s Dementia and Lewy Body Dementias
Lauren R. Bangerter, Kyungmin Kim, Yin Liu, Maria I. Lapid, Jonathan Graff Radford, Joan M. GriffinPurpose of Research
Lucidity is the transient recovery of abilities and communication that were seemingly lost among people living with dementia (PLWD). This study describes lucid episodes reported by Alzheimer’s dementia (AD) and Lewy Body Dementias (LBD) caregivers. We analyzed survey data from 212 current AD (
Major Findings
Most AD caregivers (67%) and LBD caregivers (81%) witnessed a lucid episode within the past month. LBD caregivers reported lucid episodes with greater changes in awareness and communication, compared to AD caregivers. LBD caregivers reported longer lucid episodes and that the PLWD knew about their change in lucidity, compared to AD caregivers.
Conclusions
Findings suggest that differences in lucid episode intensity, timing, and meta-awareness between AD and LBD are possible and may inform care strategies for PLWD.