Find Senior Care (City or Zip)
Join Now Log In
S
sacline Asked November 2011

How does dementia start or progress?

My Mom now 84 and her health is declining, we go to the Dr. and have test done every week. It seems we always end up with the age related conclusion, Constant pain and now confusion is joining in. We know that there is nothing else they can do but make her comfortable, NOW she has started to have spells where she makes no sense, she called me and asked me what to do with a pill, (do I swallow it?) , this morning she wanted to know if she should drink prune juice or not? I thought oh no she is really loosing it, an hour later she is fine. Is this a normal progression of dimentia? She has spells of confusion and then gets very aggrevated, This confusion seems to be getting worse and she is aware and frustrated that her mind is not working right. Does dimentia come and go at first? Any advise is helpful,,, thank you all in advance for the support and sahring your experiences with me.. It helps to know what others are going through....

jmartinelli Nov 2011
Sacline, I’m sorry for the situation you’re going through. It is difficult to see a loved one become confused and start to struggle with memory. Although I am not a doctor, it sounds like your Mom has a lot of the signs of dementia. It is helpful to document the incidents you described so that you can present as much information as possible to the doctor. There are also different forms of dementia and it is important to remember that dementia looks different in every individual. For instance, with vascular dementia an individual can be confused and then bounce back as you were saying happens with your mother. You shouldn’t diagnose your mother but it’s helpful to know as much information as possible about the disease so you can ask the doctor informed questions. The Alzheimer’s website is a good place to start to gather information about dementia.
Sincerely,
Jill

jennieb Nov 2011
Wow, this sounds familiar. My mother started off the same way. The anxiety she felt after an episode was really bad and left her crying and scared. As it turns out, her doctor believes she was having mini strokes. Perhaps a neurologist could check your mom for same. There's nothing much to be done, but at least I learned what we're dealing with. My mom has dementia as well, but it seems her episodes are not related. I hope this gives some insight to possibilities.

ADVERTISEMENT


ADVERTISEMENT

Ask a Question

Subscribe to
Our Newsletter