A diagnosis- dementia, stroke or depression?

[worriedDD2]

Hi everyone
Can anyone help with what is happening to my dad?

I live 300 miles away and am trying to support my mum who is dealing with the drs.

My dad is 89 and has recently been in hospital for a chest infection. While there he suffered from delirium and a slow heart beat due to other health issues though for his age he has been quite fit.

The drs put the delirium down to confusion from the infection. He is now home, still quite weak, but his short term memory has become very poor. Sometimes he is fine but on some says he can't recall everything he ate for lunch an hour later. He has also lost the ability to concentrate - can't be bothered to read more than a few lines- and takes ages to get dressed in the mornings due to apathy rather than confusion.

A few years ago he had a minor stroke- but recovered well except for some slight slowness in speech. When he was in hospital this time for the chest infection the drs made a note about mouth-droop / stroke but did no tests to see if he'd had another minor one.

His sleeping pattern is all to pot- he goes to bed around 8pm- very tired- sleeps till 2am then no more. He gets up a lot at night for the loo due to enlarged prostate.

He is supposedly having some tests from the 'Memory Clinic' - a home visit with other tests thereafter if required- maybe some scans?

From what I have read online my dad's symptoms could be either:

-Dementia - vascular perhaps as he has had outbursts of aggression in the past.
-Stroke- confusion, memory loss, apathy, slurred speech, inability to concentrate, loss of interest in current hobbies.
-Depression- loss of interest in reading, radio etc and poor sleep.

My mum is finding it harder and harder to cope with him- his confusion over small things, memory loss and general apathy. she says if she knew what was wrong she'd cope - it's the not knowing and the outcomes that worry her.

I am pushing her to push the GP for a scan which may show if he has another stroke and even said we will pay for it privately if it comes to that.

Has anyone any advice on how to get a diagnosis of dementia or if the GP ought to be doing things they are not so far?

They can all be linked. Dementia causes depression, and depression will exacerbate dementia. Ditto vascular dementia can be caused by mini-strokes (TIAs).

The memory clinic is a good starting point. It is really useful to be there as it is a chance to ask questions. (And also prevent the person being tested from fibbing - my mother confidenty knew the names of her grandchildren, except she made them up.) Before a formal diagnosis of dementia they are likely to do a scan.

One of the reasons the drug Aricept can work is because it slows down the pace at which dementia develops. The patient is therefore less depressed as they are less aware of getting worse.