My mom had the MoCA and SLUMS mini cognizance tests (where you're asked to draw a clock face) and each time she failed, indicating progressive dementia, which was the case, as it turned out. As she continued to decline/step down, her scores translated accordingly on the SLUMS (scored on a 1-30 scale)
SLUMS scores are interpreted as follows: 27 to 30: Normal in a person with a high school education. 21 to 26: Suggest a mild neurocognitive disorder. 0 to 20: Indicate dementia.
Mom first scored 18 and was diagnosed with 'progressive dementia' which was true. She then scored a 10 when she was transferred into Memory Care from the regular AL she was living in.
I don't know what a Medicare test looks like, but I would trust either a SLUMS or a MoCA exam which takes approx 11 minutes and should NOT freak your DH out nearly as badly as facing a 4-6 hour test.
I’m with grandma1954, he is a prime candidate for a neuropsyc exam. He may have even had something like that after his brain bleed but doing one now to either see if things have changed or simply to get a baseline so if his cognitive issues continue getting worse they can pinpoint those areas and perhaps even help. The truth is we would all be well served by having a neuropsyc eval once we reach a certain age to have a baseline on file. Plus maybe if we need another one it won’t seem so scary and evil. The exam could always prove your husbands rite too, that he has no marked short or long term memory issues, no processing or reasoning problems.
HibiscusGirl, our doctor gives us that mini-mental quiz every year. And every year we pass with flying colors. In fact, I did better this year than last year.
Both hubby and I do forget things. It's normal once one gets to a certain age. For ourselves we are in our mid-70's. Our brain is like a bunch of filing cabinets which are now jammed packed. Thus, it will take awhile to find a certain piece of information, and sometimes that info had been miss-filed.
On another note, when was the last time your husband was tested for an Urinary Tract Infection [UTI]? An UTI can mimic dementia. The test is real easy for a male, and the test can be done in his primary doctor's office or even at urgent care. If it comes back positive, antibiotics can cure the infection.
A "mini mental exam" is not a real reliable test. It is basic and does not account for many factors including the education level and experiences that the patient has had. A Neuropsychologist would be the one I would seek out for a comprehensive test. And fyi a full test can take several hours. You may have to get insistent and ask the doctor for a referral for a full evaluation. You know your husband better than the doctor and if your gut is telling you something is not quite right do not give up!
Thank you, I just know my husband is going to fight me on this. Getting him there will be hard. That is why I hoped that the Mini Mental would show something and it didnt.
I don't know what you mean by a mini mental exam. I can only suggest you take concerns to your husband's doctor for a fuller assessment and hope that works to get a good checkup. Wishing you the best.
You really don;t know what this is? My Mom got one at every visit! "here are 4 words",, some questions like the date and the president,, repeat the 4 words.. We have heard about these on so many posts !! And how many of our seniors pass these even when We know something is wrong! But really,, I could easily forget the 4 words with my stress levels! My Dads longer eval took 4 hours and he failed big time!
He is 74 yrs old. He had a devastating subarachnoid hemorrhage 10 yrs ago. He recovered but has been left with many health issues...kidney problems, lost his hearing and balance, eye issues. He is at higher risk for dementia of some kind after having a brain bleed. I felt there were little things for a year or two. Like plans we have and not remembering.... he always said he must not have heard me, blaming his deafness. Here lately he has completely forgotten some big events in our life and lives of our family. I stated writing them down back in July. In Jul our daughter was attacked by a dog and nearly lost her big toe. Very traumatic. She was watched and monitored for a month to make sure of no infection since it was near the bone. So I would check on her every other day or so. ON the evening before her checkup for the doctor to give her the all clear, I talked to her. I reminded my husband about her doctor visit. And he said " OH poor baby, now what happened to her?" I was stunned but just repeated what happened. There have been several events that haved occured since then. His long term is great. His short term if having problems. SO I was excited to get him in for his Medicare Wellness EXam which does the Mini Mental Exam. But its things like where are you, what county are you in, what season is it, what year is it, Identify a pencil and a watch. Very basic questions...Nothing that would connect to the kind of memory issues he is having. The doctor just said I need to sit down and have a loving conversation with him and ask him to go get checked.....I am just venting and beyond frustrated-*
SLUMS scores are interpreted as follows:
27 to 30: Normal in a person with a high school education.
21 to 26: Suggest a mild neurocognitive disorder.
0 to 20: Indicate dementia.
Mom first scored 18 and was diagnosed with 'progressive dementia' which was true. She then scored a 10 when she was transferred into Memory Care from the regular AL she was living in.
I don't know what a Medicare test looks like, but I would trust either a SLUMS or a MoCA exam which takes approx 11 minutes and should NOT freak your DH out nearly as badly as facing a 4-6 hour test.
Best of luck.
Both hubby and I do forget things. It's normal once one gets to a certain age. For ourselves we are in our mid-70's. Our brain is like a bunch of filing cabinets which are now jammed packed. Thus, it will take awhile to find a certain piece of information, and sometimes that info had been miss-filed.
On another note, when was the last time your husband was tested for an Urinary Tract Infection [UTI]? An UTI can mimic dementia. The test is real easy for a male, and the test can be done in his primary doctor's office or even at urgent care. If it comes back positive, antibiotics can cure the infection.
You may have to get insistent and ask the doctor for a referral for a full evaluation. You know your husband better than the doctor and if your gut is telling you something is not quite right do not give up!
- how old is your husband?
- what type of memory issues & how long has he been having them?
He is at higher risk for dementia of some kind after having a brain bleed.
I felt there were little things for a year or two. Like plans we have and not remembering.... he always said he must not have heard me, blaming his deafness. Here lately he has completely forgotten some big events in our life and lives of our family. I stated writing them down back in July. In Jul our daughter was attacked by a dog and nearly lost her big toe. Very traumatic. She was watched and monitored for a month to make sure of no infection since it was near the bone. So I would check on her every other day or so. ON the evening before her checkup for the doctor to give her the all clear, I talked to her. I reminded my husband about her doctor visit. And he said " OH poor baby, now what happened to her?" I was stunned but just repeated what happened. There have been several events that haved occured since then. His long term is great. His short term if having problems. SO I was excited to get him in for his Medicare Wellness EXam which does the Mini Mental Exam. But its things like where are you, what county are you in, what season is it, what year is it, Identify a pencil and a watch. Very basic questions...Nothing that would connect to the kind of memory issues he is having. The doctor just said I need to sit down and have a loving conversation with him and ask him to go get checked.....I am just venting and beyond frustrated-*