Type of dementia?

[ButSpringDidNotKnow]

DM has dementia. That's all we know. We don't know the type of dementia. On MN I see posters talk about vascular, Loew Bodies, Alzheimers. Does knowing the type of dementia make a difference? Is there a benefit to knowing?

Yes, some forms are responsive to medication and others aren’t

Does your mum have a history of heart attack or stroke? If so it’s likely to be vascular. That’s what my Dad had. No treatment unfortunately. Shorter life expectancy than Alzheimer’s which is actually a blessing. It’s a terrible illness, I’m so sorry.

No. Robustly healthy and sharp for a woman in her 80s, apart from wear and tear, until she had Covid during the pandemic. Everything has gone downhill since then.

Medication, types of symptoms to expect, speed of progression all vary for the different types of dementia. It's definitely worth finding out the variety you're dealing with.

There's still a huge amount of variation from person to person so it won't give you all the answers, but it does help with planning and preparation.

Understanding and helping is much easier if you know the kind of dementia. Each has their own presentation.

Why haven’t you been told the type? My mum was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s last week.

Did the consultant not tell you the type i would get an appointment with her gp and ask questions, i am so sorry it is a horrofic illness whichever type.

you can have more than one type of dementia at the same time sadly my dm did

Sometimes it can be hard to diagnose the type. If you have a look online there’s lots of good resources that tell you the difference between them - Alzheimer’s website is a good one I think.

Has she had a formal diagnosis from the memory service? If so the type will be specified.

My aunt has mixed dimentia. It is so sad to see.

My Mum had Parkinson's and went on to develop dementia. Her doctors said there was little point trying to decide whether it was Parkinson's related (Lewy bodies) or another form of dementia, as it would not make any difference given how advanced her Parkinson's was. But in your situation it could be useful to know for the reasons PPs have given.

We're in a similar situation with my DF. Unfortunately me and siblings aren't present at the appointments, only DF and DM so we don't know if some things are lost in translation but I believe he was told at the clinic it was probably mixed type (suspect Alz & Vascular) but they haven't given him a scan. I think that's because he's previously had a heart attack many years ago and blood pressure issues so he can't have medication regardless. It is hard not having the full details.

That sounds similar to FIL - major heart issues 2 years ago and he’s been getting progressively worse. Very reluctant to get a diagnosis because it makes things real. Most likely to be vascular but there could be other factors at play. At 90 with heart issues, medication unlikely to be an option.

Yes we have thought about fighting more for a scan but I'm not sure it's worth it. He was diagnosed a couple of years ago and coming up to 84 now but we just don't have clarity on anything. But if there's no medication he can have, then I'm not sure it's worth it? It's getting worse daily though so we do feel helpless.

It ultimately has made no difference for my mum. As far as I can tell. They did suggest she try a.medication but due to the risk of falls, we didn't go down that route in the end. It's late onset Alzheimer's but when I'm arranging anything on her behalf I just call it dementia. It means she struggles with words, keeps repeating herself, starts to say things that don't always make sense, this kind of thing. But she can have conversations with people she knows and loves. Certain old friends, grandkids etc.

My DF has a mix of Alzheimer’s and Vascular Dementia.
You can often tell which one is acting up according to his behaviour.
He is on strong antipsychotic drugs for the Vascular side.