My mother has mild vascular dementia and has sleep issues. Any suggestions on what type of doctor we should see?

Good morning MO. Is your neurologist is experienced in treating dementia, or are they focusing more on treating the vascular disease/stroke aspect of your mom's illness? My mom was under the care of a neurologist after an MRI showed multiple areas damaged by TIA/strokes, but vascular dementia was never mentioned as a possible future outcome, in fact I had never heard of it until I found this website while desperately seeking answers to her sudden change in health.
Some on the site have mentioned either a gerontologist or a geriatric psychiatrist as being more knowledgeable in these areas and of course more elder focused.

Aging Care and everyone here has been THE BIGGEST help and great info for me too!!!

I love it here... super great support!!! from those who have been there and done that!

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Has she ever been tested for sleep apnea? Google sleep apnea and read up on this if don't have experience in this condition; hallucinations and sleepwalking are common symptoms. Do you have access to a sleep center managed by actual sleep doctors? If so, ask her primary care doctor or the neurologist to order a sleep study. You can still another neurologist for a second opinion on medications - but getting her evaluated by a sleep doctor is the priority here as soon as possible because her sleep walking is a safety concern for not just her but for the entire family living with her.  Neurologists treat the symptoms of sleep disorder - you need a doctor who will tell you the cause of her sleep disorder. If she does have sleep apnea, then she's not getting enough oxygen during her sleep which causes the brain to act erratically and this is resolved by use of an in-home CPAP machine. The typical cause of sleep apnea is tongue obstruction to the airway while sleeping. The CPAP machine forces the tongue back in it's place while sleeping. My mother has vascular dementia and was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea. After use of the CPAP machine, she slept wonderfully through the night was alert and focused during the day. It's not unusual that there's a link to this type of dementia and sleep apnea. Her sleep study and CPAP machine were both covered by Medicare.

Thank you all. We had a visit with the most wonderful geriatric specialist today. Finally a doctor that listened. Very compassionate too. Scheduled MRI, MRA, Blood work, sleep study, neuropsychiatric exam. No matter the outcome, at least we are trying.

She needs to see a neurologist. Tell him about these issues. Sleep issues are quite common in lewy body dementia. My mom will yell out in her sleep or talk loudly in her sleep or she has dreams and cannot distinguish that what she dreamt was not real and she will think it really happened. REM Sleep disorder is what it's called. I give my mom a melatonin before bedtime to help her sleep better but she still will yell out in her sleep or talk in her sleep. I had to get a sleep machine for myself with white noise to drown her out otherwise I was not getting any sleep. I knew she was not in any harm or danger so as long as she was sleeping I figured I would try this sleep machine.

My wife, age 72, has Vascular Dementia and also had several strokes. We took her to a geriatric  psychiatrist. Medication has pretty well stopped the dreams and agitation outbreaks. I would also get her checked by a good cardiologist as it would be easy to have a stroke. Blood thinners are a must and maybe asperin but the doctor will answer those questions. Hope you have a good will, Living will and power of Atty. Good luck

If she is receptive to it, consider taking her to a naturopath who is knowledgeable about nutrition, as is the case with most chiropractors and acuputurists. A well formulated low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet has been shown to improve neurological conditions (including dementia) in many.

well i do not know about the vascular side of this but a good psychiatrist
my mom takes seroquel 50 mg time release ..you will know if you have one if they want to discuss the whole picture of you moms health cause something else can be wrong ..my moms will take everything in account & tell you what you need to get or do ...i hope you get the right help .. like my mom she has a catheter & the doc told us to get her on cranberry pills vitamin & i see that giving her vitamin C works too i googled that so on the 24th she goes to her urologist & we will now then if it works ..& her doc takes the whole picture in not just part -good luck

She might benefit from a team of doctors. If she already has a neurologist, I'd consult with a geriatric psychiatrist. Medication has really helped my LO, who has Vascular Dementia,  with her sleep, mood and agitation.

What great news! Let us know how it goes; I'm glad someone is finally listening to your concerns about your mom.