If we change our answer after five or six times, she doesn’t even notice. The other day she went to a bathroom door, the door was closed and the light was on. She said, “oh! Someone must be in there.” and she walked away. We explained our daughter’s pup was in there and told her she could go in. She went back to the door and said exactly the same thing — it was as if she was doing it for the first time. Then later on, she was opening her Christmas gifts... she must have looked at her gifts half a dozen times and it was as if she was seeing them for the first time, every time. It was sad. Should we make an appointment with her doctor now or wait to discuss it at her next scheduled appointment? Thank you.
Also be sure to get her tested for a UTI ( urinary tract infection) ASAP. It’s very common for a UTI to cause dementia symptoms. If her doctor can’t work her in for that, perhaps an urgent care would be a choice.
Im sorry you are on this path with your MIL. There are many details to work through but the starting place does seem to be the proper testing in order to know what she’s facing. Additionally she’ll want to get her legal documents in place while she can still make competent decisions. As Margaret said, the asking of questions is not an emergency in and of itself but is a symptom that something isn’t right. While there is no proof that the memory meds cure anything they have been shown to be effective in slowing down the progression of symptoms.
It’s important to understand which type of dementia is being treated as some medications aren’t recommended for all types.
Don’t discount the effects of a UTI. This infection causes many issues for the elderly.