Find Senior Care (City or Zip)
Join Now Log In
G
Gramma64 Asked November 2020

My elderly aunt has Chemo brain (fog) and has basically lost her short term memory. Anyone familiar with this?

The concern is that she refuses to give up control of banking (check book, etc.), credit cards, etc., but continues to make purchases for car warranties and insurance based on television adds she sees. Then either her daughter or I have to cancel the purchases and attempt to get the money back. She needs her money for her care. She cannot afford to live in a facility without selling her house which she wants to leave to her daughter. She also has a long term care policy that only covers 64.5 hours of caregiver a week...we need some advice or suggestions!!

MAYDAY Nov 2020
Close the credit cards, or lower the limit. hide them, shred them. limit the amount in the checking account she can get into.

LIsten to AlvaDeer and katepaints. Good advice. Had a friend's mom who was acting weird.. got into 3 car accidents within weeks of eachother. The last one she ended up in hospital. They found rare cancer in the a brain.
chemo is not fun.

katepaints Nov 2020
Find an elder care/estate attorney to advise you. I found one who has been incredibly helpful.

ADVERTISEMENT


AlvaDeer Nov 2020
As a nurse, and a cancer survivor, this is not like any "chemo brain" I am familiar with. I would have her assessed by her physician and a neuro-psyc exam. Things can happen that are often chalked to to such things, and are actually more serious.
Please have your Aunt assessed, and take a list/diary/checklist of things that are happening. Even had I been "reassured" by a doctor that this is "chemo brain fog" I would demand certain tests to r/o any metastases to brain. If there has been recent surgery with anesthesia there could also be a rapid onset of dementia in some cases.
So sorry your Aunt is experiencing these problems. Follow up with her MD and ask for specialist.
With LTC insurance that gives her enough to preclude medicaid help, yet not enough to live on, it may not be in your Aunt's interest to try to protect assets needed now for herself, Sadly she may be unable to leave assets behind for her heirs.
Day at a time here, and I would start with call to her MD. ASK FOR a consult; I would not be taking no for an answer at this point.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ask a Question

Subscribe to
Our Newsletter