Has anyone any experience of this? In people, I mean!

My mil is now very very forgetful, repeats herself over and over. She can't even cook because she can't remember that she has to do things.  She's such a lovely person and it's heartbreaking to see her like this.  It's driving my fil mad, he's not the most patient of people at the best of times!

Anyway, what I really wanted to know is whether it can be treated at all?  She's not seen a doctor as yet and my DH has only just talked about it to his father as she's been quite forgetful for a while but it seems to have gone much worse lately. I really think she should see a doctor but neither my DH or fil are keen on the idea, possibly because they don't want to have to face the worst.

I'm probably not making much sense, I don't usually put my private life 'out there' but I really have no experience of this at all and I'm a bit lost really

This site has some usefull info

http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents.php?categoryID=200120&gclid=CMnz3-utrqACFRQulAod73e9Zw

i work with some patients with dementia but im by no means an expert, i believe there are drugs to control the condition,but alot of the time it's a case of altering your lifestyle to make living with it easier, a lady i worked for the other day has it, she used to be known as the mad lady of the village as she used to just get up and go wandering, she told me that she knew where she was going and at the time going out it her nightie seemed the most normal thing in the world, she made me laugh actually as she said " ive turned over a new leaf, i dont do silly things like that any more" a few minutes later as i left her husband said he'd lock the door behind me because he glaced out the window earlier and saw her toddling off down the road.

I do also believe that underlyeing medical conditions such as thyroid problems can cause dementia, this sort of dementia can be treated so it may be worth a trip to the doctor for them to rule stuff out with blood tests.

Hi Have pm'd you

My husband has Alzheimers disease. :( The Alzheimer society website has a marvelous forum for any help you may need!

it seems to have gone much worse lately.

I used to work as a home carer, we quite often found that when a client who was a bit confused and forgetful got noticably worse over a short period it was due to a water infection, may be worth taking a specimen to Drs as a first step if only to rule that out.
Chris

How is her weight and eating habits? My Grandma was incorrectly diagnosed with dementia, she was incredible forgetful. She remembered names and people, but things like taking medication, forgetting how to do things like turning on a kettle, getting dressed etc
It turned out she was malnourished which was making her forgetful which was seen as dementia by professionals. She didn't look malnourished, but her body was failing to take in the correct levels of vitamins from food. It was only picked up by a blood test when her levels were low. She was prescribed a high dose of prescription only vits and mins and returned to her normal fiery self.

Thanks all. Only have time for a quick reply atm.  She's tiny, she has a hiatus hernia so she doesn't eat much anyway as it causes her so much discomfort.  I think I need to persuade my fil to take her to the Drs. Not sure she'll agree though!!

hi,
    my lovely,beautifull gran had dementia for 10 years.It started off with being forgetfull,then little things like not filling the kettle before putting it on,and not being able to work the telly,very slowly it got worse,until she had to move to a care home for her own safety.She used to talk to animals on her bed(they were not there)and we used to go along with it so we did not upset her.Thats hard enough if it was a cat or dog,but gran used to see lions and tigers etc,so i did not really know what to say!!,As the years past she slowly made no sense at all,but we made sure that a family member visited evry day,and we talked to her as normal,incase she did understand,we also made sure that her nails were always painted and hair curled as normal.It was harder as a family to watch her change,i miss her loads and i wish she had a chance to see her great grandchildren,
god bless granny kathleen xx

My dad goes through moments, we never know how he's going to be.  Week before Christmas had to get him admitted to hospital as he couldn't walk, inject himself, feed himself etc. and mum and I were having to try and pick him up which with a bad back I just couldn't do.  It was found out that he had a urine infection and bad usage of his injections as he's diabetic.  Also strokes can have an effect as well, we didn't know that my dad had had any until after a MRI scan.

Luckily at the moment he's really well and back to normal.

> She was prescribed a high dose of prescription only vits and mins and returned to her normal fiery self.

What a fantastic result!

Poor nutrition causes poor brain function,and lots of elderly people who live alone do not eat properly.When my mums short term memory started to fail she was referred to a mental health clinic,We told her it was a routine check up because she is ninety.but a brain scan showed that the frontal lobes of her brain have shrunk ,for which there is no clinical explanation,but the result is progressive dementia.She knows her memory is poor,but is determined to retain her independence,she now has a carer calling in three times a day,but gets very confused,and the family worry a lot.On the  advice of the consultant at the first appointment,we have set up financial power of attorney,this has to be done whilst the patient is of sound .enough mind to know what they are signing,but it means we can now take care of her finances,pay bills on time etc.We also got welfare power of attorney so my sister and I will be able to make any decisions about her care in the  future,without this she would come under the control of the court of protection,a body which was  revised in 2007, and has powers that have  come under scrutiny from an expose in the Sunday Mail a few months ago .There are drugs to help keep her calm and happy but she cannot be relied on to take medication,she loses the pills or is unsure if she took them or not,The only thing she can be relied on to have is sweets and chocolate,just like a small child.Hope this helps.

Thanks for sharing your experiences.  We've suspected for quite some time that fil has been covering up for her memory loss but since my DH mentioned it to him, he's starting to talk about it more.  He actually said that she was driving him mad (there was an expletive in there as well, which made it even more surprising as he rarely swears!), when we know he adores her.

I think we need to persuade them to go to the doctors, which I suspect is not going to be easy!

I would, it could be something simple which can be treated with medication, even thyroid problems can cause this.  May be easier in the long run.  Hope it is something that can be sorted easily.

I think a visit to the docs is definitely required.If it is Alzheimer's then there are drugs such as Aricept (look it up on the net) that can be given. Although I think it may depend on where you live as to what drugs the NHS will prescribe.

My gran has Alzheimer's and you really need the support of a GP as the condition worsens (my gran has it before these drugs were available).

Perhaps if you looked up Aricept or whatever other Alzheimer's drugs there are online and showed this info. to your OH and father in law this might help persuade them to get her seen by a GP in the hope that drugs might help - I think they halt the decline rather than a complete recovery but I may be wrong.

I hope you never need this advice but I personally think you have to prepare yourself mentally that as there condition deteriorates they are no longer the same person (they just look the same) and ultimately for everyone elses sanity and safety the person with dementia may have to go into full-time care. My gran did (although it was a very hard decision for my mum) and another friend of the family had to do the same with his wife as he could no longer cope (his wife was wandering at night meaning he couldn't get slept and she also put his glasses in the rubbish bin so when he got up he couldn't see).

The new Dementia advert on tv etc is totally out of s/cinc with real dementia, makes it look all so easy and calm just forgetfulness when its not!!

Any news?

I think it is a fair representation of how it begins....and how it is simply a matter of respecting one another, and our need to offer support as memory starts to play tricks, and dementia gets a grip.
Karen :)

They've been on holiday for a week, but since they've come back DH has spoken to them about going to the doctors, she said she already had an appointment (though she didn't!) but now that the seed's been sown we're hoping that fil will make an appointment.  We're seeing them on Saturday so will find out more then.  I've not been able to see them as I've had flu & a chest infection which I didn't want to pass on so will know more on Saturday.

Hope you feel better soon. Hope things go well x

http://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/showthread.php?t=22708

Not sure where the link was meant to go, just that it was to something alzheimers.
I dont want to offend, but I have been in healthcare most of my working life and from a professional point of view have come across dementia and its progressions almost daily.
I do think the adverts is showing the first stages and how it could be any one of us.

Karen :)

Sorry the link must only work for members of the Alzheimers society forum logged in to the site.It was meant to go to the forum posts about the advert by us carers whos family members have Alzheimers and our thoughts on the advert. :)