Dementia or Forgetfulness

Lady_E

My MIL is 76 and lives in sheltered warden controlled accomodation in Scotland . For the past 18 months or so , we have noticed a rapid decline in her memory , and also more recently her ability to have conversations. We have managed to get an appointment for a memory clinic, where I assume she will be assessed to see if she has Dementia or not , but where do we go from here? What can we do to help her? She is on a fair amount of medication and has limited mobility , widowed , and now losing her sight , so any advice would be very much appreciated .

beanielou

Has there been an Occupational therepy assessment carries out yet?
You should have that done as well as a social/home care one.
Get in touch with social work dept for her area to go on waiting list
HTH

Ted_Hutchinson

Living in Scotland and having limited mobility is a recipe for low vitamin d status and low vitamin d status is linked to the increased need for nursing home care

While it may be too late for your mother, other readers may benefit from knowing that lack of sunlight and the resulting low vitamin d status means the body cannot absorb calcium from the small intestine. This leads not only to low bone mineral density and an increased risk of fractures but also a decrease of nerve conduction velocity in chronic renal failure and Alzheimer's disease in aging.

If you have an elderly relative (who wants to avoid going in a care home) make sure they get outside at midday and enjoy plenty of sunshine.

pickle

She'll definitely need to be checked out by a Geriatrician. There could be many reasons why she's forgetful. Physical causes need to be excluded first eg. Thyroid and depression. She'd also need a full review of the medications she's on. Sometimes a shock such as a fall can cause a memory set back which may or may not improve in the short term. As we get older we're much more sensitive to medications and a qualified Geriatrician can offer insights which a regular doctor could not and would carefully assess how the medications interact etc. Can the sheltered accommodation continue to care for her. A move may not be necessary and it may be better to stay put if it is dementia as a move may worsen the condition and as her eyesight is poor it would put a strain on her. But if the accommodation are unable to look after her then of course another type of accommodation is required and should be pursued. Perhaps make a book of old photos etc. as people with dementia can usually recall the past quite well and it is reassuring for them to be able to talk about something familiar which they can remember. Good luck with it all.

Dora_the_Explorer_5

Sorry to hear your MIL is having problems. The Memory Clinic has the expertise, clinicians and practitioners to do a thorough assessment, and will pay attention to her physical health status as well as her failing memory and confusion. It should draw up a care plan ensuring all her needs are understood and managed.
Whoever accompanies her for the assessment will find it a great help to prepare beforehand by thinking of all the questions you need answers to, and taking brief notes of what happens and is said during the assessment will also help as it's difficult to remember everything. If anything isn't clear, the Memory Clinic will be more than happy to clarify and explain until it is.
If someone is your MIL's carer - family, friend, they are entitled to a Carers Assessment, which will identify the help needed to continue their 'caring' role for your MIL.
It's a new situation for you, but one that staff are well used to. HTH

busymumof3

The Alzheimer's Society website is a fantastic wealth of information for dementia sufferers and their carers . The link is http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/

We found that once my MIL ws diagnosed a host of measures were put in place to help her manage at home which she still does with carers going in 2 or 3 times daily.

Best wishes

Showmethemoney_5

Lady_E wrote:

My MIL is 76 and lives in sheltered warden controlled accomodation in Scotland . For the past 18 months or so , we have noticed a rapid decline in her memory , and also more recently her ability to have conversations. We have managed to get an appointment for a memory clinic, where I assume she will be assessed to see if she has Dementia or not , but where do we go from here? What can we do to help her? She is on a fair amount of medication and has limited mobility , widowed , and now losing her sight , so any advice would be very much appreciated .

Sorry to hear that your MIL is experiencing problems...

I'm a social worker who works with adults and older people everyday and so often I come across people suffering from memory problems. Normally, when an older person begins to have a deterioration within their mental health the first place to start with is approaching the GP. Many times, older people can suffer from 'confusion and disorientation' if they are suffering from an UTI (urinary tract infection commonly known as a water infection) which normally happens when a person does not drink enough fluids. However, as you MIL has experiences a decline in memory over the past 18 months I doubt this is it and so it is good you have an appointment at the memory clinic. Ensure she is seen by a psychiatrist or geriatician to assess for the possible causes of her memory problems. They will probably question whether your MIL has had any visuall hallucinations, is verbally or physically aggressive and will test her recall of time, date and place. From my experience, your MIL could be suffering from early on set of dementia or even Alzheimers dementia. Or even in some cases, I have come across individuals who have suffered mini strokes which can also affect their mental functioning. Don't be frightened when you read these terms....people with these diagnoses still manage to live in community with the right level of support. If or when diagnosed, treatment is normally via medication which slows down the deterioration of the memory problems however these will not cure them.

From a social work perspective, the issues that would be addressed is whether your MIL can manage aspects of her daily living i.e to wash and dress herself in the morning or make meals for herself. Especially we would look at the risks to your MIL's independence and the safety factors for example if your MIL goes out in the community and get often 'lost' also known as wandering. If your MIL is experiencing problems...you need to make a referral to your local Social Services department and request for an assessment of your MIL's needs. She will then be allocated a social worker who arrange suitable community care services if your MIL is eligible. I think at this stage it is far too early to question whether your MIL requires residential care as it is the aim of most local authority to have people remain the community with support of services.

I hope this is a brief guide for you as what you should do next. But again I must say I have worked with several cases where individuals happily manage living at home with their memory problems. However it must be remembered that the aim of any support, diagnoses etc should focus your MIL's needs, desires and wishes for her future care as very often we forget to consult the individual who is actually living the experience of memory deterioration.

Eels100

I just wanted to say that I have experienced this with my Grandmother and I know how difficult can be, expecially if you don't get to see her so often. We made a memory book of photos with clear captions, and included people, places, animals and things that were special to her. I think this helped her make sense of confusing situations sometimes because the book became familiar and she could relate things back to it.

Lavender13

Sorry to hear your MIL is not well.
Seeing the GP is definately a good idea to rule out physical causes, like : water infection,chest infection, constipation , theraputic drug levels (too much, too little), adequate nutrition (eating properly),adequate hydration (enough fluids),pain etc.
Is somebody going to the clinic with her?As the staff need to know about the concerns you have.Most clinics/ surgeries would be happy to pass on your concerns to the doctor or even arrange a telephone consulation with a relative.
Try not to worry too much,you are moving in the right direction by getting her help.

Lady_E

Thanks to everybody who has replied to this thread , what a fountain of knowledge we have amidst us all . Lord E is flying up to be with his Mum at the Memory clinic assessment , but already she is saying she does not want to go. We have prepared some questions and also looked at some of the websites , so we have an outline of what may happen. Our concern is two fold - firstly that she will no longer be able to look after herself and secondly ,she refuses any help that is offered , she is a very proud woman. Lord E is getting in contact with the social services whilst he is up there , just to see if there is anything more that can be done. We have already suggested that she come and live with us, and that was met with deadly silence and a feeling that if we did not think she could cope by herself , well we had better just not bother seeing her at all . A very difficult and stressful time for us all.

Dora_the_Explorer_5

If your MIL doesn't want to visit the Memory Clinic, she can't be 'made' to. Would it be worth having a very urgent GP assessment to discover whether she has the intellectual capacity to make that decision? Would she agree to having Memory Clinic staff visit her at home to make an assessment?

Memory Clinics are generally staffed by a multi-disciplinary team: psychiatrists/mental health nurses/social workers/occupational therapists etc as the aim is for it to be a one stop shop which can refer other agencies in eg housing, telecare, Age Concern, Alzheimers etc.
It's not an easy situation for anyone when family members live a great distance away and can't offer any day to day practical support without someone moving house. Best wishes.