My mother 72 yrs old has been experiencing some confusion and I am wondering if this is any symptoms of dementia.
She lives alone by herself and does manage home doing things like cooking, laundry, household chores etc. She eats a healthy diet and does not suffer from any kind of disease and is physically active. She also socialize and have group of friends she hangs out with every evening.
However, of late there were couple of incidents that took me by surprise. First, she initially lost her way to her old home (where she used to live for 10 years) but later recalled. Second, on couple occasions she has confused me to be with her though I live abroad.
I do not see any memory loss though except for normal forgetfulness.
I tried checking the symptoms of dementia but did not find a close match to the symptoms I just mentioned.
So my question is if this is some kind of dementia? Or I should wait for some more time before seeking medical advice. The thing is she got offended when I asked her to seek medical advice for confusion.
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
My mom - who is now mid 90's - was extremely high functioning till about 3 years ago. Doing just like your mom but there started to be gaps but still overall very cognitive and competent. For her, the first things were visual - like seeing animals
or other visual hallucinations like getting lost (not because she couldn't remember where the house was but rather couldn't make out the streets or houses). She started to have this inablility to walk normally- now she is ambulatory but she walks with a shuffle (can't do a heel-toe-lift walking) with her feet on the floor. She probably has Lewy Body Dementia (probably because you can't say definitely till an autopsy is done). What was great for us, was having my mom become part of gerontology practice in which testing was done to be able to narrow down the type of dementia and where she was within the LBD spectrum. The med's for the dementia's are different so what works for LBD might not be best for Alz. Also for LBD there are some med's that absolutely are wrong. See if you can get her evaluated by a gerontology practice, if you can.
You mentioned you live abroad - are there any siblings, family members that can check on her? We had a lot of help with neighbors, etc. as we lived 2 hours away and couldn't see her all the time. Take care.
@3pinkroses - could you give more details about your MIL? Has she gone through some medications? My sister lives close to my mother's house however as I said my mother gets offended when we talk about having her tested. So I'm still figuring on how to deal with it.
@igloo572 - From what I have read thus far dementia is a progressive disease. However from your experience do you think it's possible to stop the progression? Can loneliness worsen dementia? Does dementia necessarily end up into Alzheimer?
Thanks again for all your inputs. It greatly helps to take the next steps.
Dementia is dementia. Most dementia is Alzheimer's, but lots of other dementia cases are Lewy Body Dementia, and there are some not-as-common kinds of dementia such as Frontotemporal dementia.
Does that help clear up the dementia scene, or just add confusion?
Whatever kind of dementia a person has, it is that kind from the beginning. (Chocolate doesn't become vanilla.) It is often very difficult to even guess what type the dementia is in very early stages, so it is often just called dementia. Later it may be called Alzheimer's or Lewy Body or Vascular (or one of about 50 other names). It was always that -- we just didn't know what to call it. It isn't that dementia "ends up" into Alzheimer's -- if that is the kind of dementia it is, that is what it was from the very beginning. As it goes through its progression it just becomes more apparent that it is Alzheimer's (or Vascular, etc.)
Dementia is progressive. Overall it gets worse. But sometimes addressing the symptoms improves the quality of life so much that the dementia seems to be halted or getting better. That is a wonderful outcome when it happens -- enjoy it while it lasts -- but ultimately the disease gets worse. As far as I know, there is no way to stop the progression, but there are many ways to improve quality of life. Some people think there are ways to prolong the early, mild stage, but eventually mild becomes moderate and that becomes severe.
I think that it is perfectly OK to "fool" your mother into an evaluation. Make the appointment but tell her it is time for her flu shot or her booster tetanus shot or a routine physical, etc. and let the doctor know about it ahead of time, so she can have the shot/exam/whatever first and then without making a big deal of it also have some testing done.
What I found extremely useful in caring for my husband was learning as much as I could about dementia in general and about the particular flavor of dementia he was diagnosed with.
Normally I would say that perhaps she had had a stressful day and wasn't thinking clearly when she lost her way to her old home, but later recalled it. I think we've all had days or moments like that...temporarily having memory or logic fog. However, you experienced another unusual memory issue with her, so now a pattern is being created and frequency of these moments has increased. Is there a friend or relative who sees her often whom you could ask if they have noticed unusual comments or activities with her? Have any of her medications been changed lately? Medications or a change in dosage can cause forgetfulness or unclear thinking. Has she been ill? What we would consider minor, temporary illnesses or maladies, such as a UTI, can have a bigger impact on the mind and body as we age. I think they a friend or someone who sees her frequently could give you a clearer picture as to what's going on with your mother, if your concerns are warranted, and whether you need to intervene.
Awareness of a mental or behavioral change in an elder is a good reason for concern and should not be neglected.
Dementia is a broad term used to describe a mental impairment.
Some causes of dementia may be stopped or reversed if they are found soon enough, including:
Brain injury
Brain tumors
Chronic alcohol abuse
Changes in blood sugar, sodium, and calcium levels (see: Dementia due to metabolic causes)
Low vitamin B12 levels
Normal pressure hydrocephalus
Use of certain medications, including cimetadine and some cholesterol-lowering medications
Dementia usually occurs in older age. It is rare in people under age 60. The risk for dementia increases as a person gets older.
Alexander disease
Canavan disease
Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis
Dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy
Fatal familial insomnia
Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome
Glutaric aciduria type 1
Krabbe's disease
Maple syrup urine disease
Niemann Pick disease type C
Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis
Neuroacanthocytosis
Organic acidemias
Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease
Urea cycle disorders
Sanfilippo syndrome type B
Spinocerebellar ataxia type 2
It is possible for a patient to exhibit two or more dementing processes at the same time, as none of the known types of dementia protects against the others. Indeed, about ten per cent of people with dementia have what is known as mixed dementia, which may be a combination of Alzheimer's disease and multi-infarct dementia.
Therefore a proper diagnosis is the place to start.
You should educate yourself about... healthcare, legal, financial, and care giving, issues involved.
Always remember these things....no matter how you are treated by the person who has any type of Dementia, that you are not at fault, don't feel guilty if you are doing all you can do.Put out one fire at a time. Music is the best medicine of all.
(!) She thought her TV was "getting too big." A favorite shirt got "too pink," so she stopped wearing it. And the usher at church "switched" her walker for somebody else's old walker. These incidents occurred several months apart at first and then got more frequent. Then suddenly she got paranoid and the cleaning lady was stealing everything, including the sink strainer; that's when it finally dawned on us, and the hallucinations got more and more bizarre, including people breaking in and leaving things, then breaking in and stealing them back. Looking back it took a really long time for us to recognize what was actually happening. Having her evaluated by a gerontologist is excellent advice. I spoke to a neurologist who advised against evaluating her (!) because he said it was obvious she had dementia, the evaluation itself would just upset her, and the available medications were not that helpful. Good grief. Be sure to find a doctor who is actually willing to help you! And God bless. This is no fun for sure.
This can be very difficult to deal with long distance. If there is any way you could get back to the states and spend a week or 2 with her, it would give you the chance to watch her closely and see how things really are. Good luck!
when I asked him where he went and how he lost his keys, he just gave me a small child-like smile. One day he went out and could barely climb the stairs we live in a fourth floor walkup, he collapsed on the bed, swetting and glaring at me with such an angry look - I yelled at him and grabbed his throat in aggrivation. I was convinced he was acting, trying to get me to pity him. One day I came home from a 3 week vacation with my friends and I noticed he had urinated on an linoleum floor - it left a big dried stain and he had a hard bowel movement in the kitchen sink. I said nothing but cleaned it up. I thought he was losing it. He refused to sign up for medicare - did not trust doctors at all. He refused to get any kind of medical treatment. He is 86 and demands I give up my job, sit at home, no TV, no radio, no music. Any advice?
She is on aricept and namenda. The earlier they catch it the better.
We also "play" memory games that helps her work her mind.
There is no cure but I am convinced that there are ways to push out time.
Good luck, it must be hard to be so far away.
To answer some of your questions:
1. She is not on any medications except food supplements like Fish oil
2. She never drinks alcohol
3. She has never smoked
4. I talk to her daily about an hour. She tells me her daily routine. Pretty much everything that she does during the day. So I kind of know what she is eating from a diet perspective.
5. It's probably worth mentioning the fact that when she had lost her way to her old home, she was stressed out. Perhaps in depression. She sounded like she has no purpose in life and wants to embrace death. Now though she sounds happy.
I am now able to clearly understand that I must not ignore or neglect as these could be clues to bigger problems ahead. Unfortunately I do not have a heavy support from people who live closer to her.
As a first step I am considering either getting her here or planning a trip to see her and get her diagnosed on the pretext of annual physical check.
Based on the outcome of the results I can better make the judgmental call instead of jumping on to conclusions.
Again thanks for your time. I will post updates, if any.
It is so important to document episodes, then present those to the Doc.
Redhead,
it sounds like you have a problem there..
esp. if you are resorting to putting your hands on Dad's neck in desperation--that is inappropriate.
His behaviors sound like they are beyond limits of your ability to deal with them--you either need in-home help, or place him in some level of facility.
You need to take care of your own stress levels, because it sounds like those are too much.
PLEASE, Redhead,
contact your local Area Agency on Aging, and ask what to do!!
They can direct you to verious services / posibilities.
An adult who has started pottying on the floor anywhere, muck less the kitchen or other rooms than the bathroom, has some problems going on, and you need help handling that, and figuring it out.
Elders may "act out", including pottying on furnishings and floors, but, that is related to mental/emotional issues they need help with--it is not so simple as "Dad's mad at me not being there and chose to do this to get back at me".
They can also make some really inappropriate statements, demands, etc.
It it UNrealistic of any elder to expect any adult child, or anyone, to sit with them 24/7, no matter what.
It is UNappropriate for an elder to become physically/emotionally abusive of their caregivers [and vice-versa].
An Elder who has been taking care of themselves,
then starts having lapses--getting lost, leaving pans cooking unattended, leaving water running, etc.
CAN have clear memories, yet, still do confused things.
It is usually their short-term, new memories that suffer first; old memories stay intact longer, usually.
Illnesses, Strokes and TIAs can cause problems, too.
ANY elder who has not been properly evaluated for mental and physical status, really needs to be, especially if they have been having behavior lapses [including verbal].
Giving a written list of what you have observed, and what you are concerned about, in your elder, to their Doctor, is an important step in learning what help you need, when, how soon.