My elderly mother is showing signs of dementia. She is often confused and forgetful, but she doesn't recognize it. Do I tell her?
Dr. Jamie Huysman, LCSW answered:
If your elderly mother is showing signs of dementia, getting her doctor involved is the best way to tell an elderly parent they have dementia.
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My elderly father has Alzheimer’s and I am new to caregiving. Help! Where do I start?
Gail M. Samaha answered:
New to caregiving? The first thing you should start by doing, is to keep your elderly father with Alzheimer's safe in his environment.
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My 81-year-old father is in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s and needs to be moved to a nursing home. Will Medicaid pay?
K. Gabriel Heiser answered:
Medicare will only pay for 100 days in a nursing home, even if the elder has Alzheimer's disease. Medicaid does not have a time limit.
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How long does Alzheimer's disease last on average?
Dr. Maurizio Grimaldi answered:
The average, calculated by the Alzheimer' Association is around 8 to 12 years. Read Dr. Grimaldi's full answer.
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If Alzheimer’s is a disease of the memory, how do people die from it?
Dr. Maurizio Grimaldi answered:
The disease is not only a memory disease. It initially manifests with a marked memory failure. However, learning and higher brain functions are also affected. Read Dr. Grimaldi's full answer.
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What are the diagnostic tests used for Alzheimer's disease?
Dr. Maurizio Grimaldi answered:
There are no specific laboratory tests that can unequivocally tell that you have Alzheimer's disease. Read Dr. Grimaldi's full answer.
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What kind of information should I bring to my first visit to the doctor?
Dr. Maurizio Grimaldi answered:
All background blood work and tests that assess brain function and brain imaging studies that might have been performed recently are helpful. Read Dr. Grimaldi's full answer.
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Who should I go to if I suspect Alzheimer's disease?
Dr. Maurizio Grimaldi answered:
Your family doctor can suspect the disease, but they may not be qualified to diagnosis the disease. Read Dr. Grimaldi's full answer.
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Is Alzheimer’s disease hereditary?
Dr. Maurizio Grimaldi answered:
Sometimes, if a member of the family has the disease, the siblings show a higher risk. However, 99.9% of Alzheimer's cases are not hereditary. Read Dr. Grimaldi's full answer.
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I have been so busy and stressed out lately and am often misplacing things. Is that a warning sign of Alzheimer’s?
Jacqueline Marcell answered:
Misplacing things is not a sign of Alzheimer's in-and-of-itself. Losing your keys doesn't mean you have Alzheimer's. But there are 10 warning signs from the Alzheimer's Association that you should look out for.
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The doctor told me that my elderly father was having hallucinations and delusions while in the hospital. What’s the difference?
Jacqueline Marcell answered:
A hallucination is experienced through the five senses; a delusion is something a person thinks, or believes to be true.
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My grandmother developed Alzheimer’s at 84. My mother got it at 70. I am 40 and worried I am going to get it. Is there a test to know if I will develop it or not?
Jacqueline Marcell answered:
There is a test, but even if you have inherited the gene, it doesn't mean you will definitely develop Alzheimer's Disease.
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What can I do to prevent my wife with Alzheimer’s from choking on her liquids and food? It is terrifying and I feel so helpless and don’t know what to do.
Jacqueline Marcell answered:
It happened with my father too and scared the daylights out of me. Unfortunately, when swallowing becomes impaired and choking begins it is usually a sign that the dementia is progressing further.
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My normally loving but now slightly demented father is suddenly using the worst possible profanity. How should I handle it?
Jacqueline Marcell answered:
When I was taking care of my elderly parents (both with early Alzheimer’s not properly diagnosed for over a year), no one warned me that inhibitions gradually fade and that profanity can often occur.
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My husband is exhibiting bizarre behavior and his bad temper has turned into raging. A friend said maybe he has Alzheimer’s, but isn’t that only memory loss?
Jacqueline Marcell answered:
That’s exactly what I thought about my father—he just couldn’t have Alzheimer’s! Let me answer your question by telling you my story, which if it rings true for you about what’s happening with your husband—you will understand what to do. Click to read the full answer.
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How does a geriatrician complement the services of other doctors?
answered:
Caring for the elderly is really an interdisciplinary process.In addition to primary care physicians, other team members that can help elderly parents and their relatives are social workers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech/language therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, cardiologists, urologists and neurologists.
Click to read Dr. Levy's full answer.
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How do I cope with the sorrow of my mother’s prolonged illness, Alzheimer’s Disease?
Jacqueline Marcell answered:
I found that reading caregiving statistics helped me feel less alone, especially the one about: “More than 50 million Americans are taking care of a family member or friend--and 20 million of them are Baby Boomers caring for an aging parent.”
Click to read Jacqueline's full answer.
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