Can a person fake dementia?

This is a bit off topic but there is something off with her behavior whether it is related to dementia or not.

I don’t know anything about her sleep patterns but people can act bizarre if they are sleep deprived. My oldest daughter had a regular schedule and we both slept.

When my youngest daughter was born she did not nap. She did not sleep well at night. I was so sleep deprived! She would wake up to breast feed but wouldn’t go back to sleep. It took forever to get her into a routine.

We cannot think clearly without proper rest. Sure, a sleepless night occasionally won’t matter much but if it becomes prolonged it alters our behavior. Does your mom get enough sleep?

My brother was a restless baby. My mom said that daddy would take turns getting up with him and one morning when she reached for a bowl out of the kitchen cabinets she found a bowl with two eggs cracked in it! Hahaha, sleep deprivation can cause wacky behavior!

I agree with Dr Gross who posted further down. A neuropsychologist will do a comprehensive assessment which will not only include cognitive tests (using more sensitive tests than the MoCA which is only a brief screening tool), but may include assessment of personality factors. A full evaluation will include tests which highlight malingering (faking) - and they cannot be faked! They will also assess for mental illness such as anxiety and depression. You may find that for your mother it could be a combination of all of the above, or only some aspects. The results of a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment will provide a treating psychologist with valuable information for treatment planning. I am rather surprised that neither of the neurologists have referred your mother for a neuropsychological evaluation.

Wishing all the best for you, your family, and especially for your mother - an empty nest takes some getting used to, your mother may be grieving and feeling quite lost and without purpose anymore. Hopefully, with a sensitive approach, you will be able to get your mother and father to understand that an evaluation is the first step toward understanding what is happening and why changes these changes have come about, so that they can get some meaningful help to recover some happiness and contentment.

What difference does her behaviour make to you, apart from being annoying? If the only thing is the trials of taking her for test after test, with the best medical assistance you have had being that nothing is wrong, then stop. You’ve done the best you could reasonably do. She’s only 55, so your father is probably young enough to be the major player here. He can do the cook and clean on days when she won’t. Leave it up to him to work out when to intervene. You can just leave if it's not a great day.