My mom has been diagnosed with cognitive impairment. I was told this is not the same as dementia. She has very poor short term memory. Cannot be trusted to take medication or remember routines or appointments. She has not driven in almost a year but wants to. What does the future hold for her compared to a dementia diagnosis?
Think of it as a symptom, such as "leg pain" with the specific cause (broken leg) yet to be determined.
Was brain imaging done?
On my mom's MRI, there was an old stroke that previous imaging had not picked up. It was responsible for her MCI and a later stroke was to blame for her progressive Vascular Dementia.
I'm sorry this is being communicated to you so poorly. The broad subjects of cognitive impairment and its numerous causes on the one hand, and dementia and its many, many forms on the other, overlap and intertwine so that people end up trying to put simple labels on very very complex conditions.
But cognitive impairment doesn't just crop up on its own; so I should go back to the beginning and ask your mother's primary physician to explain your mother's situation to you with as much clarity as possible. You are looking for information about:
underlying disease. Alzheimer's Disease is one form of dementia, but there are many other types of dementia which generally have their roots in other causes. These might include for example heart or respiratory disease, diabetes, or many other physical conditions which can lead to problems with brain function.
memory issues and cognitive function. What tests have been done to assess your mother's current abilities? These tests should flag up any areas of brain function which might present challenges in your mother's day to day life. Memory loss is a blanket term, often used too loosely to cover the huge range of skills we rely on our healthy brains to exercise every day. Not remembering the name of the president doesn't actually matter most of the time, but not remembering your own address does. Not being able to solve a crossword puzzle in your usual time doesn't matter; but getting lost on the way to your own bedroom does.
You might find it more helpful to do an individual list of your mother's typical activities of daily living, and see if you can spot where she's having difficulties. Focus on what is normal and what is important for *her.*
Once you have a clearer picture of exactly what issues she is encountering, you have a better chance of understanding what factors are or might be affecting her, and from there you can potentially anticipate what her needs are likely to be in the future.
Thanks, CM for your wonderful response!
Is she currently seeing a neurologist?