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I don't know if that carries any greater risk of getting dementia? Or any greater risk connected to long term anti-psychotic meds? Maybe someone will know.
What I do know is my SZ relative is always being asked about her memory by health professionals.
I notice her memory is, a bit faulty, at times. But I see more problems like she 'remembers' something the way she wanted it, rather than what happened. Also, if she had zero interest - will be zero memory.
How is his memory on topics he is very engaged & interested in?
Does he misuse words?
Does he "talk around" something if he can not find the right word to use.
Does he get lost going places he should know how to get to?
Does he dress inappropriately for the day or the time of day?
Does he dress properly? (shoes on the correct feet, undershirt under another shirt, shirt on right side out, on frontwards? things like that)
Has he stopped doing activities that he enjoyed previously?
Think back over the past year are there any things that you or other family members ignored that seemed odd or out of place?
Put all the little things to gether...Now do you have a cause for concern?
Get dad to a Neuropsychologist for testing. His PCP should be doing general cognitive testing as part of a physical but the MME's are not that reliable and it would mean comparing one done this year to the one done last and the PCP would refer you to a Neurologist or a Neuropsychologist in any case.
If the what he ate yesterday is only a 1 time thing I would not really worry.
If the person that came to the house yesterday was not of importance I would not worry. (was it a close person to him or was it the UPS guy that dropped off a package)
Dementia is more than memory problems, many of which show up before memory issues. Does he seem confused? Is he making poor judgments? Is he having trouble finding the right words or making decisions? Is he having trouble shaving or brushing his teeth? Symptoms of dementia can be subtle and include many of these. Don't jump to conclusions. Make an appt with his PCP to have him screened for dementia.
Follow through with his physician no matter what. Let the physician know ahead of time about why you want to visit. With dementia, a lot of the time the person doesn't realize they are forgetting things. You will get nowhere trying to correct or remind him of things he's forgotten, and it will just frustrate you and upset him, and he may push back about going to the doctor.
If someone's not with your dad daily, you also may want to see if your dad is remembering to take any medications correctly. Look on his pill bottle(s) (make sure there aren't multiple half used bottles around) If he gets 90 pills at a time to take as 1-a-day, and his prescription was last filled in October, he hasn't been taking his meds consistently.
Best of luck!
As for whether it's a sign of dementia, there are a number of reasons for short term memory loss that don't include dementia. Questions you might consider could include: What kinds of health issues does he have? For example, if he has sleep apnea, it is known to cause short term memory problems if not treated. Are there other changes in his behavior? Has he undergone a major life event that could be causing him stress? Did he start a new medication? Ultimately though, a doctor is the best person to determine what's going on with your father.
And it would be nice to hear what you discover. Good luck as you go forward.
Once we discovered my MIL had memory issues and wasn't remembering to eat, she needed to go into AL. Your dad will not be able to live independently anymore if he has short-term memory impairment. He won't remember to take his medicine, won't remember how to work appliances that he's familiar with (like a microwave), won't be able to manage his bills or banking.
Hopefully it's only a UTI, but if it's not you and your family need to help encourage him to protect himself with the proper legal documents. If he never assigns a PoA then the only other way to get him the help he will need will be through pursuing guardianship through the courts. This is time-consuming and can be expensive, especially if other family members fight over this. If a family member doesn't secure guardianship then the only other option is for the county to get it. No decisions for him can be made (when he's no longer able to make them himself) without someone having the legal authority.
Also, do you know what his financial condition is? In many states Medicaid (if he needs it) does NOT pay for AL, only LTC and MC. It may also be helpful to get him to an elder law attorney/estate planner who knows Medicaid, as many many elders eventually require its help to pay for care. He can delay or disqualify himself if he (or his family) is not careful about managing his assets -- my state has a 5-year "look back" period on the application. I wish you much success in figuring out his health and needs going forward, and peace in your heart whatever the diagnosis.
call the cvs or your local pharmacy and ask if they have it and how accurate they are... and you LO doesn't have to go anywhere to get that test. bring it to them.
so do call your local pharmacy and talk to the pharmacist...
I wouldn't just assume dementia. Best to get a full health assessment. Common issues can be UTIs or other infections causing confusion. Or vitamin deficiencies may be effecting memory. Can be many things.
If nothing found, he may need a full neuro exam to look at all his thinking skills, his short term memory + working memory, complex thinking & planning.
One step at a time.