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Mom is 83 and having short term memory issues. Dad, my siblings and her friends have privately talked to us about concerns that they have in this regard. Even mom admits she can't remember things and has to write everything down. She did go to her family physician and told us (she wouldn't let anyone go with her) that the nurse asked her 20 questions and she got 100%!. Dad called the nurse yesterday to confirm and she said, no, she didn't get them all right but the results weren't significant. Her doctor will give her a referral to a neurologist for further evaluation though. My dad is afraid to approach her because she gets very angry with him these days. I am willing to talk to her about it but am scared too. I think my fear comes mostly from what to we do if she is diagnosed with dementia/Alzheimers? But I know we need to know what's happening in order to plan for the future and so that she could possibly benefit from medication. I'm sure many of you have similar experiences. Advice?

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That is a very good question, and actually I have had people ask me that... The reason for taking your Mom to the neurologist is because you want her to get the appropiate diagnosis and then treatment. There are many factors that enter into alzheimer's disease or dementia. If you approach your Mother with the fact that you are concerned and want to make sure she gets appropiate care, that could be helpful. Not everyone with Alzheimer's disease has seizures but they can. When you consider what is happening to their brain it makes sence. take care...
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By the way, I think I would downplay the "memory issues" part of this. Her doctor simply would like to have a specialist examine her now that she is in her middle eighties, to establish a baseline in case there are changes in her future.
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So what would be worse, having your mother get angry or missing an opportunity to plan better for the future and have a chance at helpful medication?
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I have found that with my mother (some, but not all) of her problems are caused by side effects of her medications. If your mother is on any medications, you may want to check what the side effects are. In addition, you may want to give your mother vitamin b-12, and other b vitamins, if she is not already taking them.
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