Dementia Advice Please

[CAMRAMan]

My dad's memory has got much worse over the last year or so. He's never been the brightest of sparks in that respect, but it's got to the point today where he asked me three times in the space of as many minutes what time my flight was next Monday. This is a regular thing these days. This makes me suspect it is dementia setting in.

He's 82, type 2 diabetic, leads (& has always led) a very sedentary lifestyle and his diet isn't the best, either. He is very dependent on my mother who is very wary of doctors, to the point that she ended up in a HD ward a couple of years ago with a perforated bowel after telling herself and everyone else it was an upset stomach! When we discussed it today she was in almost total denial and would not do anything actively herself to get my dad seen by a doctor. She knows there is a problem, but is sweeping it under the carpet and saying "there is nothing they can do about it". A not untypical response from her.

So, what to do? Apparently he has a GP review in January. Would it be worth writing to his GP directly to voice my concerns? My mother will attend the review, but will say what is necessary to get out of there as quick as she can, I think. Should he be driving? He has knocked the garden wall over in his car recently and his car is festooned with minor bumps and scrapes. My feeling is not.

I think the least that can be done is to have him assessed by a specialist. Whether they can do anything or not depends on that diagnosis, I suppose. Losing the car would be a body blow to him personally, but rather that than have someone hurt,

[Biggsy]

It can help to get a diagnosis for what type of dementia it is - to speed up the next step, whatever that may be.  I'd try to get the GP involved ASAP.  Early drug treatment helps in some cases, and patients deserve help in general anyway.

There's practical advice on http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/ - and not just for Alzheimer's, eg Vascular dementia.  (I did a lot of reading up for a friend caring for her mother).

Factsheets: http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents.php?categoryID=200137

[CAMRAMan]

Thanks Biggsy. Useful links.

[Jurek]

PM sent.

[Binka]

How well controlled is his blood sugar?  I have a friend who's diabetic and I know if her blood sugar is too low or high she gets confused and isn't her usual self.

[CAMRAMan]

I'm not sure, tbh. He isn't the most disciplined, I do know that. He sneaks far too many sugary things into his diet and just gets tutted at by my mother. That's perhaps something to mention to the GP, but I doubt he'll change his ways. Good point though, thanks.

[yoav]

What drugs is he on? One commonly prescribed class of drugs that can worsen symptoms of dementia are statins. If he is on them, have a word with his GP; it may be worth a trial off them to see if it makes a difference.

[CAMRAMan]

He's on veritable cocktail of drugs, and I think statins are in the mix. Thanks, another thing to mention to the GP.

[barakta]

Can also be worth finding out if there's sensible drug taking support via pharmacy or GP which can be leveraged if he's not remembering drugs properly.  Those 7 day things can be pre-populated by pharmacy staff on request I believe.

One issue we had with my Gran is that her dementia (Alzheimers) was thought to be entirely or wholly linked to her blood clotting issues so they gave her warfarin which had some complex as heck dosage regime which changed by day.  She always obsessed about drug dosages to the point of waking up in middle of night on rare occasions she needed antibiotics or something so we didn't think much of it when she obsessed about warfarin, but we think she was struggling to remember if she had taken them or not which stressed her out. 

[CAMRAMan]

The funny thing is, he can easily do repetetive things like sorting out his week's drugs using one of those 7-day box thingies. He won't be dosing incorrectly, I'm fairly sure of that.

Hard to explain, but he's always seemed on the fringes of awareness, so this forgetfulness has crept up on him and us. We've been shrugging off the fact that he's been mixing up me and my brother's names for years, but maybe it's the symptons of a longer term thing than we realise.

[Tim Hall]

The funny thing is, he can easily do repetetive things like sorting out his week's drugs using one of those 7-day box thingies. He won't be dosing incorrectly, I'm fairly sure of that.

Hard to explain, but he's always seemed on the fringes of awareness, so this forgetfulness has crept up on him and us. We've been shrugging off the fact that he's been mixing up me and my brother's names for years, but maybe it's the symptons of a longer term thing than we realise.

Your last sentence, Ding!  It rings a big bell here. Mum (80 last Sunday) has vascular dementia and is now in a care home. Getting a diagnosis took a long time, but one factor in the delay was the avoiding of the issue/denial by us, her family, in the way you describe.  I guess it's partly not wanting to admit that something is wrong.  Speak or write  to your/his GP to raise your concerns.

I see mum not as often as I should, have a nice chat with her and she's always pleased to see me. I've learnt to structure my conversation so that it's not a test: "I hear Dad took you to the pub yesterday" is much better than "Did you go out recently?"  At present she can bluff her way in a conversation - family and friends will know that she's making stuff up/talking nonsense, but it sounds convincing. It's just how she is now.

PS, she had a party on Saturday. 30 people at an Italian restaurant a wheelchair push away from her care home.  Everyone had a lovely time and she stood up to make a short speech. And there was CAIK.

[T42]

An article I read recently here suggested that Alzheimer's and type 2 diabetes might simply be the same thing. You should be able to read all of it without an NS account.

Being type 2 myself and not so young, I am very interested in further developments, particularly as my own memory seems to be getting progressively shorter. Fortunately, cycling is one of the best ways of fighting it.