Signs of dementia

[ultrarunner]

Yes... and it is very indicative, especially with older people that grew before the digital revolution...

 

[Walt 2002]

It is time to make preliminary contact with your local Hospice organization.

Don't know about your Hospice but in our area Hospice becomes involved when a patient is terminal with life expectancy of a few months in actual practice in our family and with neighbors, just weeks.

Walt Conner

 

[Bird]

Don't know about your Hospice but in our area Hospice becomes involved when a patient is terminal with life expectancy of a few months in actual practice in our family and with neighbors, just weeks.

I believe to qualify for hospice care, your doctor has to predict that you have less than 6 months to live. But it can be renewed after 6 months if you live longer than expected. My Dad was under hospice care for only a month or two, and my Mother was with him when he died. She was so favorably impressed that she requested hospice care for herself nearly 9 years later. But she lived more than the 6 months and it was renewed before she died.

 

[Deere Dude]

My 88 yo mother lived alone in a house in town. She started getting dementia but would try to mask it like all of us would. My sister would visit her every day and take care of giving her pills needed and doing the cooking etc. The next step was an old folks home but the brothers and sister felt guilty for even suggesting that step.

My sister put a couple game cameras around her house just to get a feeling of what goes on when nobody is around. One instance she would walk out the back door, down half a dozen steps, walk 20 feet to the garage, try to open the locked door, turn an look across the lawn and go back in the house. Three minutes later she would go through the same exact routine and this would go on 20-30 times. The same thing happened checking the mail. She would check the mail box on the front porch every three minutes time after time after time...every day.

I was convinced after seeing that that the old folks home was the place for her constant needs. Still it was difficult. She couldn't even be trusted with a one push microwave. All she had to do was get a cup of coffee, put it in the microwave and push "1", take it out and drink it. It came time to empty her house and I was taking the microwave and inside were about 6 cups of coffee that were forgotten about.

She did go to a doctor to take blood tests for vitamin deficiencies etc. but everything seemed normal but the body seems to outlive the mind nowadays.

 

[ultrarunner]

I'm noticed mom is having trouble with applicances... some she has had for 30 years.

For Sunday church there was always a second alarm clock... every week the second alarm clock would have problems... finally found out why.

Every Sunday after church she unplugged the alarm clock to save electricity... thing is the new 9 volt backup battery would then go dead and she was always confused how to set the clock when plugging it in Saturday night.

I found a windup alarm clock and problem solved.

 

[k0ua]

I'm noticed mom is having trouble with applicances... some she has had for 30 years.

For Sunday church there was always a second alarm clock... every week the second alarm clock would have problems... finally found out why.

Every Sunday after church she unplugged the alarm clock to save electricity... thing is the new 9 volt backup battery would then go dead and she was always confused how to set the clock when plugging it in Saturday night.

I found a windup alarm clock and problem solved.

Watch the microwave especially. A couple of years ago Linda's mom meant to set the timer on the microwave to time something else, and instead she turned on the microwave with nothing in it. Linda walked in many minutes later and the microwave was arcing inside and was smoking hot. The magnetron has never been the same after that and we have to extend "recommended cooking times" . She had totally forgotten the microwave. She is now forbidden to work any of the appliances.

 

[ovrszd]

Sorry for your troubles. Its no fun dealing with that. We're on the same path with a family member. I'd suggest reading this, then talking to your family doctor for advice.

Know the 1 Signs of Alzheimer's Disease

Thanks for the link Moss. Lost my Dad to Alzheimer's 22 years ago. Makes me a bit paranoid concerning myself. I'm 65 and occasionally display all ten of those. But fortunately my behavior falls in the normal aging category.

I think it's normal to be concerned as we age. The mental quality and management level diminishes. That's a bit frightening.

 

[Bird]

I'm 65 and occasionally display all ten of those. But fortunately my behavior falls in the normal aging category. I think it's normal to be concerned as we age. The mental quality and management level diminishes. That's a bit frightening.

Yeah, and I'm about to turn 77, which is the age my Dad and his Dad each started showing signs of Alzheimers. The final straw that made us put Dad in a nursing home was when I walked in their home early one morning, smelled gas, and found all 4 burners on the cookstove turned all the way on as high as they'd go, but not lit. Dad still smoked back then. Thank goodness he had not tried to light a cigarette yet that morning. He had decided it was too cool in the house that morning, so he turned on the burners on the stove.

 

[k0ua]

Yeah, and I'm about to turn 77, which is the age my Dad and his Dad each started showing signs of Alzheimers. The final straw that made us put Dad in a nursing home was when I walked in their home early one morning, smelled gas, and found all 4 burners on the cookstove turned all the way on as high as they'd go, but not lit. Dad still smoked back then. Thank goodness he had not tried to light a cigarette yet that morning. He had decided it was too cool in the house that morning, so he turned on the burners on the stove.

Wow, that had to be a scary incident.

 

[ovrszd]

Apparently one of the most reliable and low cost Alzheimers tests is to give the suspect person a peice of paper and a pencil. Then ask them to draw an old fashoned anaolge dial faced clock with the time of your choice indicated, eg 3:30.

My Dad was a part of a study at Kansas University when he was diagnosed. Gave him a double blind placebo drug. Took him there once a month for testing. One of the tests that they did on him EVERY time was to give him a piece of paper with a circle drawn on it and a pencil. Told him to think of this circle as a clock and to add the numbers where they belonged. EVERY time he started with the 12 at the top, going clockwise adding the other numbers. Number 11 was ALWAYS at the bottom of the circle with no numbers on the left half at all. EVERY time.

Odd how the disease messes with the "vision to brain connection".