How to determine if someone has dementia

There is something about people with dementia even in the early stages that you can spot.
Different things that seem innocuous at the time but then later you realize what you were seeing wasn't quite up to par even though the ones close to them don't seem to notice or ignore.
My friends wife ended up with dementia but I noticed it a long time ago.
They had two refrigerators and a freezer and it was stocked with food and there were only two people in the house. My friend used to joke about it. But I noticed it as strange. A lot of the food was past the expiry date.
Sure enough she could not pass the cognitive recognition test and now is being treated.
The tough part is recognizing it in yourself.
 

Camper: good observation. Do you think your friend was too close to the situation to notice the changes in his wife or was he in denial?
It might be impossible to recognize that you yourself have the beginning stages of dementia. The dementia itself may cloud your mind to obscure it from yourself. I really don't know how it works. Only speculating.
 
My dad just got forgetful, aged about 70, but mum just gave him notes to take up the shops, he also used to ask you a question then ask you the same question again........
When I visited him, he just sat quiet and only spoke when spoken too.......
This went on for years.........
Mum just guided him on things............
Sadly he did get worse aged 88, going out at night, and walking about the house at night,
Eventually my sister had to get him into a home, as mum couldn’t cope anymore......
Dad died January this year, aged 95 and mum now lives with my sister, she aged 95 and her brain is brilliant, but her breathing is bad........xx
 

Duster said:
Camper: good observation. Do you think your friend was too close to the situation to notice the changes in his wife or was he in denial?
It might be impossible to recognize that you yourself have the beginning stages of dementia. The dementia itself may cloud your mind to obscure it from yourself. I really don't know how it works. Only speculating.
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There was always an excuse. We might have the kids over for dinner. But that's extremely over the top. There was other stuff I noticed and she was intelligent. The way people drive compared to previously. Small accidents. Bumping in to stuff. Now drivers in Ontario are screened at 80 years of age before your license can be renewed. The test is simple but many have a hard time. And then every two years. If you had an accident the full road test is included.
 
Duster said:
I know some of you have dealt with parents with dementia. How did you determine that they were in the early stages of dementia?
Do doctors give the patient a test?
The problem is that my mother is acting a little insane lately. If someone disagrees with her, she calls them a white supremacist or a racist.
She'll ask is you are voting for her favorite candidate for president. If you say no she calls you a name.
To me that sounds borderline crazy.
She lives alone and has gone downhill physically since this covid madness began. She looks much older and has put on weight in the past 6 months.
Of course, she repeats the same stories every time you talk to her. That's been going on for a few years.
How do you go about finding a good nursing home that accepts dementia patients?
Does medicare cover the costs?
I'm the only one of my 3 siblings who lives near my mother. None of them have come to visit her in the past 6 months.
Since I'm not an only child, this isn't my decision alone.
I feel maybe it's time to look into some kind of special care, since she seems to be losing her grip on reality.
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My mother was placed in a nursing home without my consent; I'm the youngest of 3 daughters. RIP, Mom.
 
Charry: I'm sorry to hear that you lost your Dad this year. It sounds like your mother did the best she could as the dementia progressed.
It seems like most dementia patients need special care as the disease gets worse.
 
Camper6 said:
There was always an excuse. We might have the kids over for dinner. But that's extremely over the top. There was other stuff I noticed and she was intelligent. The way people drive compared to previously. Small accidents. Bumping in to stuff. Now drivers in Ontario are screened at 80 years of age before your license can be renewed. The test is simple but many have a hard time. And then every two years. If you had an accident the full road test is included.
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Screening people sounds like an excellent idea. Sometimes children are afraid to take the keys away from their still driving parents. That solves the problem.
After my dad had heart surgery, where was in an induced coma for a few days, he had trouble remembering things. When he recovered, mom let him drive and he drove on the wrong side of the road. She realized that he had forgotten how to drive and couldn't remember the rules of the road. She drove him in her car from then on and we sold his car. Just think how awful it would be if a loved one, who shouldn't be driving, caused an accident that caused fatalities.
 
Dementia is, IMO, one of the worst things that can happen to a person. Losing the ability to think and function normally would almost be as bad as contracting a terminal illness. If there is any Plus side, most of the people who get this seem to think that everything is OK.

There have been recent reports about possible treatments/vaccines being tested in an attempt to cure Alzheimer's....hopefully something will be found.
 
Duster said:
Charry: I'm sorry to hear that you lost your Dad this year. It sounds like your mother did the best she could as the dementia progressed.
It seems like most dementia patients need special care as the disease gets worse.
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thankyou xx
 

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