GP did a dementia test of 9 questions, does this sound correct?

[Janus]

My Dad, 81, is becoming forgetful and a bit muddled. I live a couple hundred miles away so see them about every 2-3 months, mum lives with him and brother is local. All of us have noticed changes, me probably more so as I don’t see him weekly. Small examples (I’ve just been down this weekend)

• Tells a story and then may repeat it a few hours later
• Asks me about my children but says something like ‘how’s your eldest’ as he can’t remember her name
• Tells me he sometimes can’t remember where he’s parked the car when he goes out
• Tells me a story about his past but I know chunks of it aren’t correct, ie the dates are decades apart from what he’s telling me

Anyway, a few weeks ago I told him maybe there’s a tablet to delay things if it was early dementia so he went to the GP. He says she took a blood test last week and today asked him to remember a shopping list of a few items and then asked him some questions such as ‘what year is it’ and ‘what’s in the news’. He couldn’t remember what’s in the news but talked about athletics being on as he watches a lot of sport on TV! He could remember the shopping list. GP said he was fine.

I guess we were all expecting some early dementia diagnosis but he’s got the all clear, does that sound correct? Could it be just old age and getting forgetful?

Around here , GP does bloods, screening test and refers to the memory clinic if score indicates poor memory. If the patient gets a good score but Dr or family suspect dementia, repeat process in 5-12 months.

Is there actually medication for dementia which does delay things? I'm not sure there is. My relative who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's wasn't given anything.

Also, not to dismiss your fears as you know him best and know if it's worrying, but he sounds like he's doing far far better than my 80yr old parent who doesn't have dementia (as far as we know) but is just 'old'.

My dad passed these tests, he's crafty and good at hiding his confusion (at one point she asked him what year it was and he looked at the calendar on her wall ). The thing about dementia, especially early on, is that the gaps in memory are shifting and inconsistent, so he might remember something today but forget it tomorrow, and they are also quite random - he might remember my husband's name but forget mine. No set of nine arbitrary questions is going to catch it - it's an inadequate test.

If you're really concerned about his memory, I'd push for a referral to the memory clinic, where they will do more in-depth assessments, blood tests and a brain scan. My dad has now been diagnosed with Alzheimers.

There are medications that can slow progression for some people with Alzheimer's. There is also the extra support from specialised nurses available and support for families that in some areas can be accessed with a diagnosis of dementia.Some patients have vascular dementia and managing their risk factors eg BP , blood sugar etc can slow their progress so all in all early diagnosis is useful.

Exactly. It was a reply to someone saying that they hoped a blood test for Alzheimer's had been done.....I'd do exactly the same as you.

There is also a counting question which even at 54 and no dementia I would fail on that straight away.

Op b12 deficiency is quite common and gets more common with age. It can imitate dementia. If he hasn’t been tested yet, avoid b12 tablets which skewer blood test results and await b12 injections if he needs them as they will ensure proper absorption

forum.alzheimers.org.uk/threads/b12-deficiency-a-silent-epidemic-with-serious-consequences.79612/

GP wouldn’t diagnose - has to be memory clinic who will only accept people with a 6 month history of decline where I am. Then would need further tests and ct head.
Would he have actually consented to this with the GP? Another thing to consider as we can’t refer unless consented - even once memory declines further we have to respect previous wishes. Hope you get sorted soon 💙 must be hard being far away. People can be diagnosed with a mild cognitive impairment and manage well for years following this before getting a dementia diagnosis x

i'm sorry, but i think that does sound like dementia.
i have no medical expertise, but just from experience.
i would not have thought this before i had the experience.
a lot of those screening test questions are not adequate, in my opinion.
they assume a certain level of intellectual ability, that a person may never have had, so failing to answer correctly may not be a sign of dementia.
also as stated above, people can answer them correctly but in fact have dementia.
the best doctor i saw, a consultant geriatric psychiatrist di not use any of those questions. she just had a general chat with the person.
from that she could make an accurate assessment.
one error i made at first, do not try to correct the person about facts, details.
loss of smell, unsteady gait, not being able to walk in a straight line and talk at the same time, change of personality or behaviour, loss of inhibition ( though this may come later); are all things to look out for.
good luck.

a hosp doc asked my partner who was the PM.
i did not know who it was.
i had been with him day and night nearly all the time, on hard chairs overnight until he died.
i had no interest in the news.
he hesitated, and because of his physical incapacity, he would not have know who it was either.
nothing to do with dementia.
i knew it was either tony blair or gordon brown, but didn;t care when they actually changed.
when he died, the nurse literally threw his slippers in my direction, they skidded under the seat i was on.
i asked for the chaplain, but they said there was no point.

In my experience Dr's down play symptoms in dementia patients especially at the very first signs. I remember my GP doing a dementia test and dad doing ok but part of it was asking him to put a piece of paper under his chair ... I was expecting him at the end of the test to ask him where the paper was and I'm sure he'd have failed it but he didn't. I felt as thought eh down playing was for my benefit. My dad went very poorly quite quickly and sadly was very aggressive etc. Keep pushing and ask for a referral to the memory clinic. The sooner you can get a diagnosis the sooner he can have treatment and you can start preparing yourself. Best of luck.

Thank you so much for all the replies.
I do think Dad is so pleased he ‘passed’ that he won’t take it any further for a while. I think we give it 6 months and then mention to him about a check up at a memory clinic to be on the safe side. I understand how he feels as it must be terrifying to face up to a diagnosis.
He did have a minor stroke 6 years ago and obviously that is damage to the brain so he does think that is the cause. It may well be I suppose but the memory thing is all in the last year so I’m not so convinced. Because of that he is regularly monitored for BP and does take tablets for it. Dad is a doer, he can’t sit still! He still goes to the gym 3 times a week, plays for a pool team, walks the dog each morning etc so I think he will push on for as long as possible with those day to day joys!
@alexdgr8 im so sorry about you and your partner were treated, sounds cruel, I hope you are ok.

thank you Janus.
it was a while ago, but still...
all the best to you n yours.