Djteel,
Have you gone to the doctor with your mom? Those memory patches ARE FOR DEMENTIA. I sincerely hope she is not driving at this point. I believe you are not getting the whole truth about your mom's condition.
As for the sleep apnea, does she use a CPap machine? Also, has she been tested to see if she might need oxygen at night?
The Assisted Living Facility you described seems very strange to me. My parents are ALF and have none of the restrictions you described. Look into other facilities, because at some point, she will need more help.
Good luck and keep us posted.
Judy
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I have read & heard that with older folks, someone should go with them to the doctor to help relate problems to doctor and listen to his comments and even take notes to refer to later. I'm almost 69 and almost daily, I go to my detached garage to get something and in those few seconds it took to get there, I've forgotten what I wanted to get. When my mother was going through that, my sister was living with her and I think she was impatient with her. I wish I could have been there to help, but I was working. Everyone needs to remember that will likely be us someday and try to be helpful and compassionate. You only get one mom. Good luck to you.
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My mother is 88 almost 89 years old and has sleep apnea and she's not been sleeping well for a couple years.It's effected her short term and long term memory very badly,to the point that she will get up to do something and within seconds forget what she got up to do.Then she gets frustrated and will yell or pound her fist or both and yell "i can't think"!! It upsets her badly ,as she knows her memory is very bad and can't do anything about it.The doctors claim that she does not have dementia or ahlzeimers ,that she has only the sleep apnea.. and i agree. She doesn't ever drift in to la la land or into euphoria of any kind.She has her wits about her at all times and it's just the memory that seems nearly at point zilch now days.She has someone taking care of her finances and business dealings but she still causes herself problems by not writing things down when people talk to her.So she's nearly caused herself and me as well,some major problems in both the recent and distant past.Details of important received phone calls are forgotten in a half hour or less.Doctor's detailed instructions are forgotten ..I wish i could do more for her but i'm diagnosed bipolar with chronic anxieties and have a sleep disorder on top of that.Any stress in my life renders me unable to sleep.,My mother doesn't want 'nor need to live in assisted living communities as she is active and those communities limit their residents to being in their apartments by a certain time at night as well as limiting visitors to certain hours.My mother is active and often times she likes to be out and about as late as 11 or 11:30pm..She's often times awake until 1 and 2am either visiting with me or watching tv.She tried assisted living and hated it/They would wake all residents every day at 7am.Also all the residents there were in bed by 9 or 10pm every night,Some as early as 8pm.The residents were in worse condition than my mother.My mother does her own shopping and does the thrift stores ,etc..She's probably as active as any woman in her 60's.In fact she recently had a complete physical and the doctor was surprised and pleased that she's in such great shape for being 88./She has the energy and physical health of a much younger woman.I just don't know what to do about her memory problem.It's getting to be a major stumbling block in both of our lives.My mother used to supPort me emotionally as well as somewhat financially.Now she can do neither.Her memory is bad enough that she can't reminisce and share memories about my childhood in my teen and preteen eras,but she can remember quite well her and my father's early days of dating .She even remembers clearly,her own childhood and growing up /why she doesn't remember my childhood clearly, i don't understand/.It's depressing to me of course but i have no option but to accept it.Is there anything i can do to improve her memory on a daily basis? Can i somehow do something to improve her long term memory as well?The doctors are not helping. She claims they say it's a combination of her age and sleep apnea.They say no more than that i guess or else she's forgetting what they tell her before she gets home.She tells me that they claim there's nothing she (or they)can do.She wears memory patches of some kind.Small brown,round patches that i guess release a chemical that is supposed to improve her memory.She gets them from the doctor.If they're helping it sure is minimal.Thanks for any advice you can give
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