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Elderly parents

Does this sound like Alzheimer’s?

3 replies

SquashedToes · 29/09/2017 23:42

Sorry to post on here but I live thousands of miles from my parents and I’m struggling to know what Info they are getting from their doctors.

My DM has been slightly disengaged for several years now, but it was put down to dry-eye with which she was suffering terribly.

She is not forgetful at all in day to day conversation, she occasionally can’t find the right word, but she doesn’t repeat herself or forget what’s been said. I noticed she hardly ever cooks now, she can put a meal together, but I think she’d struggle with a recipe.

The main red flag was when she looked asked my dad who he was. This now seems to be a regular occurrence (mostly prevalent when she is anxious). Dad says it’s as if she’s in a different place, then she comes back to him. Mum is aware she has these episodes.

She is being tested for dementia and felt silly as she couldn’t draw the clock, but most other stuff was ok.

My experience of other relatives who have Dementia is that they repeat themselves a lot in conversation and misplace things.

Now I’ve written it down, it does sound quite obvious I suppose, I was just hoping for another explanation.

OP posts:
MyBrilliantDisguise · 29/09/2017 23:43

How old is your mum? It must be really distressing to notice changes like that.

SquashedToes · 30/09/2017 00:11

She’s in her mid 70s. Its barely noticeable on Skype, but when I saw her a couple of months ago, I was slightly shocked.

OP posts:
Needmoresleep · 30/09/2017 22:01

The form dementia takes can depend on which bit of the brain is damaged. My mum became repetitive which I think is front temporal lobe (I'm no doctor!). Some people struggle finding words. Terry Pritchett, I think , first had problems with vision.

So my mum has no problem drawing a clock but in her memory test suggested Margaret Thatcher was prime minister.

Who did the test? If the short version done by the GP you might ask for her to be referred to a memory clinic for the longer one which will probe oddities and give a more complete picture Then perhaps a scan to check for damage.

But yes, and with the huge proviso that I have no medical knowledge, not being able to draw a clock face does not sound good.

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