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[Pennyfarthing]

Lovely doctor came to mums and was very thorough and did loads of tests and says she has early stages of Alzheimer's. Neither of us were surprised TBH and she took it well. He asked whether she would like to have a daily tablet to maybe slow it down and she's up for that. A nurse comes to the house every month or so to see how she's doing as well. 

Some questions she sailed through but the copying drawings she found hard and the mental arithmetic but I found I couldn't do the maths ones either! . She knew the PM, the US President, the month, the season and her address etc.  She recognised most pictures but just could not remember the name of a kangaroo and called it  "A hopper."

He suggested that at sometime in the future we might need to look at her going into care and she didn't seem too bothered but did tell him she likes her  independence at the moment. He also suggested we look into Power of Attorney as she is having trouble counting her money, paying bills etc. In fact she's been asking me to pay her bills for her for quite some time now.

She is now upstairs having a sleep at my house.  I had to laugh because he asked her to write 2 sentences about anything she wanted and she wrote for one "I am getting hungry now." She loves her grub does mother!! 

[Annie0710]

Aw you both sound so together with the diagnosis, hugs

My friends Dad has recently been diagnosed with early stages and he's the cater for her mum who is partially sighted after a stroke.  To me he seems no different but my friend says he's getting quite snappy at her mum

Your mums lucky having you xx

[CLKD]

Have a look at the various dementia information web-sites.  Gaining insight and where to get advice from should you require it may be helpful.

Also see if the property requires any 'aids' …… i.e. handles around the bath if they aren't already in place.  My Mum had a toilet fitted which is higher than 'normal', I forget every time I sit down   

[Kathleen]

Hello Pennyfarthing.

Sorry to hear about your Mum's diagnosis but at least it means that now she will have access to care and treatment. The mother of a friend was prescribed Aricept and my friend has noticed an improvement so in her opinion the drugs do help.

Wishing you well and I agree that your Mum is lucky have you.

Take care.

K.

[Ju Ju]

Sad to have this diagnosis, but maybe a relief in a way? Best wishes to you all.

[Pennyfarthing]

Thank you all so much for your kind words. I don't feel sad or shocked TBH because I have felt it coming on her for some time.  She has just eaten a huge meal here with us .... 6 of us tonight .... and really enjoyed it and was telling us all about how nice the doctor was and how well she did in the tests.

To whoever asked, yes I have two brothers but we don't get on and never communicate. When the doctors report comes through I will photocopy it and leave a copy for each of them at Mums. That's all I can do as they don't speak to me. They barely do anything for mum except pop in very briefly most days.  They knew she was seeing this doctor today and why because she showed them the letter but they're not sufficiently concerned to ring here tonight and ask how she got on. Sad isn't it?

[CLKD]

Is it sad?  For you or your Mum  .  Men tend not to get involved with caring.  It is often left to the wives/sisters/girlfriends ………

Finding out 'stuff' sooner rather than later means that you can enjoy your Mum now ;-)

[CLKD]

Does your Mum do that all the while or when you are visiting?  What do the Staff tell you?  It may be more distressing for you then your Mum if she settles when you aren't there.  Sufferers get fixed ideas which can be triggered by familiar faces.

[Taz2]

Sorry to read of your mum's diagnosis pennyfarthing. My mum had vascular dementia, which I appreciate is easier to deal with than Alzheimers, and I found it helped to join her in her world rather than try to keep her in mine.

Stellajane - I really feel for you. My mum did the same but she was still in her own home. She didn't recognise it as such though and just kept crying for me to take her "home" although she also didn't know who I was by then and would follow it with "you wait till my daughter gets here - she'll sort things out - she always does. Have you met her?".

Taz x 

[Taz2]

Towards the end of my mum's life she did get some comfort as she believed that I was her mum. She refused to be left alone in the room with my dad though. "What's a dirty old man like that wanting with a young girl like me?",  she'd ask,  flatly refusing to believe that he was her husband.

Taz x

[CLKD]

I think that parts of the brain recall their parents but people in the 'now' are strangers therefore scary.  Difficult to watch 

[CLKD]

 .  Now that was mentioned on a program recently in that a man doesn't recognise faces so can't put names to colleagues etc. unless they wear a name badge.

As an aside, in the Archery Club is a young lad with Tourettes - his tics disappear completely when he is shooting as he uses a different part of the brain which over-rides the Tourettes.  The brain fascinates me 

[Pennyfarthing]

When the doctor was with us yesterday he asked how many children Mum had. She said 3 and was asked to name them. She named oldest son, then me and then went blank and said "there's another one but I can't just think of his name."  That really surprised me because my youngest brother has always been her "golden boy" who can do no wrong.

A few weeks ago she missed my birthday for the first time in my life. That made me feel a bit sad.

[CLKD]

Is it that 1 episode of forgetfulness for PF has been OK but now perhaps you can see a pattern?

[Pennyfarthing]

Is it that 1 episode of forgetfulness for PF has been OK but now perhaps you can see a pattern?

Believe it or not, the thing that first made me realise mum was having memory problems was meringues!  She loves meringue nests and just could not remember what they were called anymore despite me telling her a hundred times. When she did her shopping list we used to laugh because she would write down "white things" and I knew what she meant. Then she stopped remembering grandchildrens birthdays, even though she has them all written in her diary.

Then her handwriting deteriorated which had always been beautiful.  Then she seemed to be withdrawing from conversations so I took her for hearing test and she did indeed have a problem. She still doesn't wear her hearing aids much though.

She knew her memory was going and started a collection of notebooks to remind herself of things but she would still forget. She kept lists of when she took her pills, what she'd said to people on the phone, what she had for lunch, where she had been etc. I guess she was just reassuring herself.

We had her here Friday night and hubby said he thinks it's important for her to be with other people as by the time she left on Saturday morning she was much more chatty having enjoyed the company of five other people, eating well and wearing her hearing aids!