Signs of dementia

[CliffordK]

The great difficulty with dementia, is YOU don't know its happening..

My mother has been worried about it for several years, and is progressively making more "mistakes". Nonetheless, she remains quite independent.

There is a new treatment called Lecanemab that is supposed to help slow the progression somewhat. We've been working to get my mother onto the treatment. Unfortunately just getting the treatment started has been a long process. There is a risk of serious side effects, but the alternative seems much worse.

I am a little concerned about a neighbor that has inserted herself into my mother's life. She is beginning to show signs of being manipulative with saying something like "It was my mother's wishes" when it becomes difficult for mom to remember the details of prior conversations.

 

[ultrarunner]

My mother died about 6 months ago at 96 and my sisters and I are going thru the same thing settling her estate. Just the opposite on her house...since I'm several hours away, I've stayed at the house when I've gone down to help deal with things. Just felt like an empty house, she's gone. She was ready to go, her last couple years you could tell she was tired of being here. My father's been gone over 20 years, and her friends had all passed on too. Other than relatively minor age-related issues, no health problems, certainly no dementia.
My parents bought that house in 1951, I was just a toddler, none of my siblings had been born yet.

Its a process more involved than I had anticipated when the folks asked me 29 years ago to be in charge.

Laws change, the world has changed and I thought family would all be on the same page but learned otherwise.

In hindsight some things could have been done different but all of this was going on in the middle of the pandemic.

Not sure how it will all work out but friends say I have aged since mom passed.

 

[scootr]

 

[nicolasgarcia]

It's like jumping through hoops sometimes. And then there's the worry about those potential side effects. It's a tough call, weighing up the risks versus the benefits, but it sounds like you're doing your best for your mom. The thing about that neighbor though, that's concerning. It's tough enough dealing with dementia without someone potentially taking advantage of the situation. Manipulative behavior like that can really add stress to an already difficult situation. Have you tried talking to your mom about it? Sometimes just being aware of what's going on can help. I took a look at that link The progression and sudden worsening of dementia about sudden worsening of dementia. It's scary to think about how things can change so suddenly.

 

[riptides]

....

I am a little concerned about a neighbor that has inserted herself into my mother's life. She is beginning to show signs of being manipulative with saying something like "It was my mother's wishes" when it becomes difficult for mom to remember the details of prior conversations.

First, sorry about your Mom. Cudos for you trying to find a solution.

Second, nip that neighbor crap in the butt, hard and fast. Leave no quarter or doubt about their relationship with your Mom and family. None.

 

[ultrarunner]

A new couple moved into the neighborhood buying the home of moms dear friend.

New lady is a family therapist and not sure what her wife does for a living.

They were concerned mom going out for long walks at her age and reported it which started a series of random visits..

Mom was still running marathons at 75 and daily walking several miles each day in a loop even at age 88.

Each visit was noted no issues found… but it just added another burden…

 

[JasperFrank]

Woke up yesterday, and didn't know if it was dusk or dawn. Then remembered that I had worked hard all day since dawn, and took a nap at 3pm. Which turned into an all night sleep till next morning. It was confusing.

 

[camshawn]

We are dealing with both our mothers on the road of memory loss. My Mom will be 90 next week and is having visits from my deceased Dad and her parents but still looks after her self though she is getting forgetful. My MIL we put into a locked door home last week.
Please get power of attorney or a representation agreement for your aged relatives before it is too late for them to decide. We got my mom covered but my MIL is a mess and it has added a lot of extra work for us.