Dementia after a bereavement

[EverythingsDozy]

My grandma is 85, she has had a sister with dementia, and we've recently noticed that she has been forgetting things lately, repeating the same thing within an hour sort of thing. She's been forgetful for a little while but it seems to have gotten worse since my grandad passed away in October. Is it possible that this could be the early signs of dementia, particularly with it being in the family? And could it have been made worse or triggered by my grandad passing? They were together every day for over 60 years, she was understandably devastated at the loss.

It is quite likely a combination of both. Having your Grandad probably got her mind active and stimulated physical activity too. Is she open to discussing her health with you?

The same happened with my nan. My grandad died of cancer and it was only once he was gone that the family started to notice how bad she was. Partly because my grandad helped her so much, and partly because the family's attention was on him and not her.

For a long time her forgetfulness/odd behaviour was dismissed as grief, but it wasn't. It was dementia. But it took a while for my mum to convince her brothers - they were in denial I think.

So, my advice would be don't be too quick to assume it's a grief reaction and keep an open mind to the possibility of dementia. Getting them to speak to HCPs can be incredibly difficult though. My nan would tell anyone who listened that she could manage fine and did all her household chores/cooking by herself. She didn't. She just couldn't remember.

Good luck