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Have you noticed any behaviors or situations that seem to indicate bad decisions? Any excessive or unusual spending? Or perhaps a poor understanding of safety concerns that everyone else is worried about? Write down anything you or another person close to your parents has observed.
Have you noticed that your parent no longer seems as interested or involved in his hobbies? Did your mother read voraciously but now hardly makes progress on her novel? Any repeating of stories? Any asking the same questions repeatedly? If so, write that down. This is necessary but not sufficient for diagnosis — the doctors must also rule out other causes for thinking problems.
Now, doctors can assess the different aspects of brain function through certain office-based thinking tests. In fact, a questionnaire covering the eight behaviors above has been extensively tested by dementia experts. Getting this type of observational information from family members helps doctors determine whether the behavior is a persisting, and maybe even worsening, problem. Last but not least, geriatricians such as myself love getting these kinds of behavioral observations from families.
Doctors who are knowledgeable about dementia will ask a family about problems related to the eight behaviors above. Such things happen partly because families are often a bit vague when they voice concerns.
Unless that is, you bring detailed information to help the doctors take further action. Take notes so that you can then take better action. I am 34 years old, a wife to Richard and mummy to Ava and George. I was a lawyer but have been a stay at home mum for nearly nine years now, which is slightly scary. I have loved it and I would count it as a job because I have worked harder at home than I ever did anywhere else.
What happened to me? I was going to say that I have recently become disabled. In search for a better health I came across people talking of Dr. Kpomosa on the internet, on how he uses herbs to treat so many chronic diseases, I was reluctant to give his herbal fomular a try. Reach out to dr. I feel very happy to share testimony with everyone on this site,I was married for 3 years to my husband and all of a sudden another woman came into the picture he started hating me and he was abusive.
This is the right info , i was looking for, like this post very much. My mother is She has what they call early onset dementia. But based on what we observed, we her children come to this conclusion. My brother came and drove her out and brought her back and she was still confused but then realized she was home.
We gave her some anxiety meds and then my sister put her to bed like putting a baby to sleep. She slept a few hours then woke up at 1: She called my sister to get medication for her. We need some direction. For the last 2 years I have been trying everything I can think of to help my mom and step father. My mother and I were very close my whole life, until about 2 years ago. She has these episodes where she says some way out stuff as if she is recalling it from memory, like events that never took place.
We had to make a police report once because she didnt make it home. The police found her 40 miles from arizona on a back highway out of gas. She said she got lost on her way home. She is constantly stealing things from people and the house is thrashed. She always kept a clean house. She hit him in his face one day saying she caught him talking on the phone to his girlfriend.
That was impossible because she had unplugged the entire phone service while ripping up the carpet in the back room, so the phone didnt even work. She refuses to go to the doctors and get checked. When she does go into the ER she will sign herself out before getting the help she needs. I have called adult protective services on my mother and even they didnt do anything.
I got a hold of aging adult services. They have done nothing. She hasnt taken a shower the whole time i have been back staying with them. I have recorded her flipping out and saying some way out stuff but i dont know what to do. I am running out of hope and they are out of time. Please someone help me!!!! You might not be able to get info from the doc, but you can sure tattle tale on your dad or mom to the doc.
My wife has just been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers and also frontotemporal dementia. She argues with me all the time over her not having short term memory loss. Is your spouse cheating? My mother from hell since birth has given me a hard time. Just last year, she called the police on me because she forgot the night before that the neighbors called the police on her because she was screaming like a psycho because she told me to keep on taking my medication.
So the cops came and talked to me li ke I was sick in the head. The next day , she called the police on me because I splashed water on her face that day. I was so hurt by that. Any advice on what to do with her? Better to diagnose with the disease now then later. The doctor has said that she is suffering from Alzheimer and i have observed these symptoms.
She tends to make up stories which has never happened. She forgets present things like taking insulin and preparing the bed for the night. She has become quite weak. It would be very helpful if you could suggest me a way to reduce such problem. Snoop while she is not looking or sleeping you need to find all that stuff. They are in denial. I took charge now they understand and see it all very clear.
She is in the moderate stages of Dementia. I also recommend Azo for UTI about once a month to make sure as a pre caution. I will when the time comes. My mom is 83 now and she has been with me and my husband for 2 years now. She had a small fire like she dropped a dish hit the glass door of the stove and it was on small fire broke out. I picked up the stuff and cleaned the hotel room got her things and away we went. She would stay with me until her house was done wrong! My husband is a mild mannered person but, that did it for him he called and told the operator to talk to her and needed to do something and here comes the cops, fire department, and ambulance to take her away.
She had done that to my brother and now he has it on his record and was in jail for it. She went to the ER that night as my husband sat with her and cried till the Dr.
When she first got here I cried all the time she would say I killed my dad and I was a whore and all kinds of bad things. She smokes like crazy and because of that I quit smoking just watching her did it for me. I hope this help those who have a hard time with someone they care for. You have to be in control because they are no longer in charge. Mom hides things and uses toilet paper and misses the toilet every minute of the day but hey she took care of me. I love her always. Hello, my dad is 60 years old. For the past few months he changed a lot. His judgment became very poor, he drives faster than he used to and has really bad decisions concerning things.
He also just stays home and doesnt like going to coffeeshops anymore. He also repeats things such as questions alor, for example he asks something about my college and then after sometime he asks the same thing again like I never answered him about it. He sometimes forgets appointments with people, he lately forgot an important one. Needless to mention that he always forgets where he puts his stuff like keys or phone. Are these signs of dementia or Alzheimer?
I had similar questions. Like you, I also have questions about whether dementia and personality disorders might exacerbate each other. My dad is very passive-aggressive which is why he will definitely NOT go see a doctor if I suggest it. It could even be both. My dad he is 65 year old. She imagines things, accuses me the one person helping her of all sorts of things, while she steals from me and is abusive towards me. She gives money and things to anyone who falsely flatters her, but tells me she has no money for things that she makes me do for her around the house e.
She lies to others about me to get sympathy. Mind you they see her once a year for a couple days only when she flies and sits in their houses for holidays. Who can I go to to protect her from giving away any more of her money? She has no long term care insurance and not much money to live off of. Or do I just let her get ripped off to poverty, screwed over by my psycho siblings while I go far far away? Thanks for any tips. My mother is 85 and since December she has gone downhill very quickly.
She left the house one morning at 2 am and was lost in the woods for 5 hours. Found out she had a UTI and that makes dementia much worse. Today, I called and she was crying because her husband, my stepfather told her we were all dead. We are trying to get her on medicare so she can go into a home but he makes it impossible. They live in a rural VA area and there is almost no help for them. He repeats words and sentences incessantly. He is terrible at managing money these days. He also has mood swings that were not like this before. Is there more than can be done, perhaps by a neurologist?
I am struggling with how to have my partner bring this up with his family. My mom is She was herself… driving, doing her own taxes, etc. Since then and now — and especially the last 2 years, she has declined to the point that she quiet simply is no longer the same person. She is confused, has horrible pain from stenosis, on dilaudid. She is now asking desperately who We are, where she is, where is her husband, her mother.
Rather, I believe, folks should be asking God to bring these people home to him. I pledge to take my own life while I still poses the presence of mind and before I degrade into helplessness and confusion. Modern paharma-medicine and antiquated moralities are making us torture folks beyond their natural end.
We live too long when we are reduced to failing body functions, suffering indignities like having to be obsessed with making it to the bathroom in time. We live too long when what is left of us is robbing our children of their sanity and capacity for compassion. We live too long when all that keeps us alive is the guilt of others.
Hi my name is Andre 16 , recently my friend forgot my name. Please help this daughter of God P. My mom is 87 years old and still lives by herself. My dad passed away 5 months ago and her doctor says that her forgetfulness, repetitiveness, etc. I would always have to go with my dad to all of his doctor appointments because mom would never remember what the doctor said, minutes after they left. I had to write down her address and phone number and tape it to the phone in case she had to call for my dad because I was so afraid she would forget her address she ended up calling me the day an ambulance had to be called and I called She sometimes gets easily confused about: Some of the time, she is good.
She still keeps her check book and pays her bills, which thus far she is doing okay with but we have to constantly go over it together not normal for her. She has always been so sharp and active but some days she just seems vacant to me. It could be loneliness and grief or it could be something else. She wants to stay in her house. Hi, we are looking for advice on whether to move back closer to home, especially now in light that my FIL is starting to have memory problems.
His symptoms are self recognized but this most recent trip home has shed some light that his memory problems may be getting worse. MIL and extended family are all local so there is support. The big question is should we also try to be closer so that we can support and take advantage of the good years now in case there are bad years ahead? If you think his memory is getting a little worse, I would recommend he see a doctor as many health problems can worsen brain function.
These include certain types of medication esp for sleep or anxiety , thyroid problems, depression, substance abuse, vitamin B12 deficiency, sleep problems including insomnia or sleep apnea, and much more. I am very worried about my father lately. He forgets what I told him like one or two hours ago. Sometimes he asks me things over again, not a lot but he does sometimes. Should I worry and take him to the doctor? Or could this be because of the wedding stress and not because of alzeihmers? Hi, I really hope you can give me some advice. For general approaches that are proven to optimize brain health — and work in people who have dementia — see the link I shared above at Better Health While Aging.
A study published last year found that cognitive decline happened faster when people with dementia had very low blood pressure:. Vascular dementia is caused by conditions that block or decrease blood flow to the brain. Often these seem to be very small strokes. The approaches that prevent major strokes e. Autopsy studies have found that mixed dementia is fairly common.
I describe these here: Depending on the brain damage done from stroke, and the proper treatment of the underlying symptoms which caused the stroke such as high blood pressure , the progression of vascular dementia can be halted. What is difference Between Alzheimer and Vascular Dementia and if it is Vascular Dementia does it proceed to get worse more slowly.
So, once again, HELP!!! I have an article on this topic here, which may help. Because her husband who is no where near a health care professional had a nice conversation with him and thought he seemed normal. Adult children are forced to cope with many decisions and emotions once a parent is diagnosed with this disease. He begins to lose independence.
I would push the doctors for further evaluation. Insist on them doing a MOCA test mocatest. If the usual doctor is unwilling to do this, you may need to look for another doctor. I have written an article about how dementia can be diagnosed in people like your mom on my own website for family caregivers, see here:. These include medication side-effects, menopause-related hormone changes, thyroid problems, electrolyte imbalances, sleep-deprivation, and much more. I agree that your mother should be evaluated, since her memory problems could be the sign of a medical problem that needs attention.
An evaluation should consist of two main parts. One is an office-based memory test, like the one at mocatest. For instance, can she still cook a complicated meal? What else have you noticed her struggling with? If the office-based testing is abnormal, or borderline, the doctor might recommend she see a psychologist for neuro-psychological testing, which is much more in-depth testing for cognitive abilities.
The other part is an evaluation for common causes of memory difficulties in women her age…that would be when they check for thyroid, depression, etc. Thank you for this post and for reading about our loved ones. My mother is 80 and I have seen several instances of 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8 on your list. One morning when she was especially groggy and agitated and wandering, she got really upset and said she just wants to die.
My brother and I live and miles away. At 16 you should not have to deal with this situation. You are a very remarkable person, however and I admire t the way you have accepted this responsibility. I think you should encourage your Mom to go to the doctor with her symptoms. Ask her if you can go too.
They no longer respond in the ways they did before the onset of this terrible disease. Very often they repeat things over and again, seem to not hear what is said to them, do not remember what was said a moment ago, seem confused about past and present appear to be completely irrational which, in effect, they probably are. Many, perhaps most, patient with the symptoms of early onset of the disease either sense or know that they are losing control of their faculties. That is why many of them become depressed. Here, too, it is not that they know that they have a terminal illness that will end their lives but, much more frightening, if that is possible, that that they will live while no longer being their former self.
Adult children are forced to cope with many decisions and emotions once a parent is diagnosed with this disease. Whether or not to keep the parent at home vs. This is important if the adult children are burdened with their children and jobs. Then there is coping with feelings of guilt if there was a life time of arguing with this parent. Then, because the patient forgets everything that is said and repeats the same questions, it is easy to become impatient and angry despite knowing that this is not happening deliberately. Many adult children or other care givers feel very alone with this tragedy.
It is a terrible thing to know that your parent is alive but not the same person they once were, to know that you are now a total stranger to him or her. It is a terrible thing to be the patient and, at early stages, know what is happening to you but not be able to do anything to stop it. It should be stated that, through the association, there are available day programs for these patients that try to normalize their lives while providing structure and entertainment. Usually, these are for patients being kept at home.
Transportation is available to pick them up and bring them to the program. For those seeking addiction treatment for themselves or a loved one, the MentalHelp. Our helpline is offered at no cost to you and with no obligation to enter into treatment. With that in mind, would you like to learn about some of the best options for treatment in the country?