Follow
Share

I can't take her to the doctor... she will fight tooth and nail.
Here's some info about mom:

Her house is packed with beautiful little knick knacks. And I mean a lot of them with flowers and stuffed animals..... she says the stuffed animals are 'her family'.... she knows they are not real but she does say that to me...

She asks me the same question like yesterday, 4 x in 4 hours... she will call me to ask me over and over the same thing and I just stay calm and give the same answer.

She forgets A LOT I mean A LOT. Her memory span for short-term seems like it's almost nil... after about 1/2 hour she forgets what we talked about.

She now can't divvy up her pills. She asks me daily 'what is the orange one for?' 'when do i take this?'... I mean every day, sometimes 2x in one hour.

She can take care of the toilet, bathing, dishes, even light cooking.

She loses everything. She misplaces things all the time, probably in part due to not being able to find anything in the house.

She thinks people may be looking in her window at night in the back yard... (the yard has a 6 ft privacy fence... nobody is there...)

She is losing her appetite. She will eat (cook for herself) a good breakfast, 2 eggs, peanut butter toast, coffee) every morning... thank God. Then at 3 she has her coffee with a pastry... but dinner time at 7 she 'doesn't care'.... and it concerns me because although she has always been petite, she is now about 89 lbs and 5 foot.

Just wondered what stage you would call this.... Any ideas? She is almost 91...and while she can live independently (but probably shouldn't) I just can't pin what to call her... mild or mild to moderate.

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
Find Care & Housing
Thanks guys, I made her an appt with the primary care dr. for Friday @ 1:00 EST. I will update.
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

Carlen is right. Get her drinking water and get her to the DR ASAP!
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

One topic no one has discussed is dehydration. Elderly and dementia patients tend to not drink water. I don't know why. Sometimes they forget, others just don't like to drink it. But, some of the symptoms you discussed (tiredness and unsteady on her feet) can be attributed to dehydration, and unfortunately dehydration is common among dementia patients.
Helpful Answer (2)
Report

Ass over teacups! - very nice :)

Agree this does need reporting, and it's sounding a bit more urgent. Is she MUCH more sleepy than normal? - could be we've missed a small stroke, there. Also, I remember the day my mother turned down a trip to the shopping mall - you could have knocked me down with a feather. Not being funny, that would worry me.

Sorry, dementia doesn't always fit neatly into a silo. Unfair though it seems, having Alzheimer's doesn't protect you from any of the other nasties and vice versa. But I really hope you do get some clarification very soon, best of luck x
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

If she is used to a one inch heel, she has learned to balance in that position. Your tendons in your calf tend to "set" in a certain position, and going to a higher or lower heel can throw anyone off. I see some short women trotting around in four inch heels, their calf is shortened permanently. I wore work boots for many years, and if I put a four inch heel on, I would go ass over teacups in about two steps. (age 62)
Helpful Answer (2)
Report

Do you think the unsteady gait and the frequent 'falling asleep in the chair' during the day when she's home is part of the dementia? I took her out yesterday for some new shoes, and she always wears a 1" heel, like always forever and ever, amen. She tried on flats and said she felt like she was going to go backwards so we got her another identical style. I figured it was because she was used to a small lift in the back but now I don't know.
Helpful Answer (0)
Report

yes pstegman i think that has to happen, too. I told her this week if it doesn't change by tomorrow I am going to make an appt and she didn't really argue, so I better do it... I wish I knew what kind of dementia she had. There are so many kinds that seem close to one another and he's just a primary care dr, so I don't know what to do... she is 'failing' slowly though, between depression, isolation, and the fall last week I am beginning to feel overwhelmed and guilty and she abbhorently refuses to allow anyone but me to help her.....
Helpful Answer (0)
Report

Call the MD and get her in, something has changed and he needs to see her.
Helpful Answer (2)
Report

Thanks everyone. Another new thing is that she is sounding weak more lately.... she lives to go shopping every day... i take her to entertain her more than anything; but today she passed. She sounded weak and tired on the phone. She was napping (it's noontime here and this is the 2nd nap today since she got up at 8:30 am) and that's not really like her... at least not until lately. She has an unsteady gait sometimes and today even said she feels a little like she's drunk... ? Is this common? I told her if it continues this week I am making an appt w the doctor and she agreed, but in the meantime what does this mean? Is it part of dementia?
Helpful Answer (0)
Report

I would say moderate. The red flags are when she hallucinates, can no longer go potty without making a mess or wanders off. It might be a good idea to let the local police department know that she is a dementia patient and give them your emergency contact numbers. That time is coming soon. If she won't go to the MD, ask him to order a visiting nurse that will come to her on a regular basis.
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

Oo. Tricky, especially if she's taken against the "young pretender." My mother has been much happier about investigations since the 'brain function' rather than 'memory loss' concept was introduced to her. She complained bitterly about being asked "trivial questions, of course I wasn't really concentrating" by her GP, but was as good as gold about the lengthy, detailed cognitive assessment (much more interesting, apparently!) she had at the memory clinic. Would that kind of tack help, do you think?
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

Yes she takes namenda, although every day she forgets what it is for... She doesn't like going to her doctor she says he doesn't know anything.. lol He's a good doctor and our primary care physician. She just doesn't like that he's not her 'old' doctor..... it's hard to get her to go.... and it would be impossible if he began to "question" her abilities and cognitive reasoning because she would be offended. Of course, if I were to call him up, he'd say he has to see her... I understand that much, so I figured I would post here. She can count out her money, but it takes her a long time like if something is $28 she will pull out the $10 and the $20 but looks uncertain for a few moments before handing it over...
Helpful Answer (0)
Report

Nikki, I see your mother is taking Namenda. If I were you I'd go back to the doctor who prescribed it for her and ask for further advice; I don't think it would be particularly helpful for us all to start guessing about what means she's at what stage etc. etc.

Is your mother as uncooperative about all of her health care or just the dementia part? If she's taking other meds, maybe there's a way in to the doctor's consulting room using one of her other conditions as a pretext? Best of luck x
Helpful Answer (1)
Report

This question has been closed for answers. Ask a New Question.
Ask a Question
Subscribe to
Our Newsletter