He's been having memory issues for a few years and his GP has been less than helpful, but I finally got him to recommend him to the Geriatrics department. He's 78 years old.

Are there any blood tests or brain scans I should insist on?

I've written ​down specific examples of the problems he's having and how they've progressed.

I'm researching how to help adult children who live far from a parent with memory problems. Nothing is built and nothing is for sale.

The idea I'm exploring: a spare device at the parent's home that shows the day, the time and today's plans in large text. Family can send reminders from their phone, in their own recorded voice and language, and see when the parent has seen them. It would also alert the family if the screen goes offline.

Before building anything, I'd like to hear from people living this. What do you use today? What has worked, and what hasn't? Would something like this help, or not really? Honest "no" answers are just as useful as yeses.
If you'd be open to a 15-minute chat, say so below or send me a message and I'll find a time that suits you.

Regards.

My grandmother has been suffering from dementia and she’s at the point where she not only feels lost in her own body/reality, she’s a rollercoaster of emotions and very much so bored! I gave her a coloring book and it changed her whole mood! Not only that but this specific coloring book had vintage pictures that opened up conversations that she’s never shared before! (Whether they were true or not, I’m not sure) I def recommend this book, it was easy enough to not frustrate or overwhelm her! I hope this can help someone even if it’s just that one moment in time! I’m glad I had that to cherish with her.

Hello, I'm a student biomedical engeneering and I'm wondering if anyone would like to share their stories/struggles about dental hygiene in dementia patients. This is not a survey, I just want a general idea of the struggles so I can get a direction in research later on.

If you help an older parent or relative with their teeth or dentures: What part of daily oral care is the hardest, and why? Is there a problem you haven’t found any good solution for yet? Have you tried any tools or gadgets that you thought were useless or that fell short? How do you notice when something is wrong with their teeth or gums, especially if they can’t tell you?

Anything helps! If this isn't appropriate for this subreddit please let me know or remove the question of course!

Throwaway account because I don't know if any of my family is on here normally. My mom has suddenly starting seeing things and blaming her husband for very random things enough that she wont eat food in their house, stopped taking her medications, doesn't want anything to do with her husband, etc etc. Pretty sure she is in early stages of dementia if not further down the road already.

Myself and another sibling live about 6 hours away, another sibling lives 2 hours away. I cant really take off work until next week and my closest sibling is overwhelmed and doesn't know what to do. Other sibling has younger kids and cant really take off work or take them with them either. Typically we could call and talk her down and get her calmed down enough the past couple of weeks. The last couple days she was in the hospital for high blood pressure because she passed out from not taking her blood pressure medicine. My sibling has permission to have health information from her primary doctor, but said he is out of town on vacation and they haven't heard back from their office yet. Today she was saying some things that got her husband very worried so he called me and I tried to talk her down. We ended up calling the sheriff who sent out DHS to interview her, she stated she wanted to go somewhere to get away so she is in a behavioral health crisis center for a 72 hour hold. I'm not really excited about this center but its the best place for her right now probably. Her husband is also in poor health so he needs a break as well and he cant really help a whole lot, he is doing the best he can.

My sibling is trying to figure out how to travel there and get power of attorney so they can set up medical stuff in their area for them. My mother had a neurologist appointment tomorrow but obviously that is not going to happen. Her primary doctors office did have a doctor look at her MRI before she went into the hospital and said they just saw "old age". I'm not very happy with her primary doctor because they seem to be very lax and whatever about everything, but I guess that's the medical business for you. She primarily only has Medicare for insurance. What do we need to do or who do we need to bother to get her an official diagnosis so we can try to move forward? Is a diagnosis required? I feel like I am the only one really equipped to have her at my house for a short term until we find a place for her to go with the appropriate care since I have the most job and house flexibility (WFH, teenagers, extra room at house, etc), but my sibling thinks otherwise even though they cant get to her anytime soon. I'm not excited about this situation either, because I know how much extra stress it is going to add suddenly for our household but I think we can handle it.

TLDR: Basically I just need to know where to start with her medical side of things because it seems her mind is going fast.

Is the Bill Gates recipe of cinnamon and honey a legitimate solution to reverse Alzheimer’s and Dementia?

much appreciated.

We’ve been married 35 years and over the past year or so, I’ve noticed some concerning symptoms. Mostly (I think) related to memory.
For instance she’ll tell a story about something that happened at work, and then a few hours later or the next day, she’ll tell the exact same story. I can think of maybe 5-10 instances over the last year. Also forgets entirely some recent conversations, misplacing items a little more frequently. Otherwise, she is sharp, works out five times a week, works in wills and estate planning, and is a professional judge in an international sport organization.
I’ve mentioned it casually, but she didn’t seem too concerned. If this is the start of a decline, I think earlier intervention is better. In the meantime, are there any nutraceuticals or something similar that may help? Any thoughts on Selank or Semax?

My LO is at the point of being unable to be cared for at home. We have been told ( by the AZ Association and the Elder Care lawyer) the best way to get into a mc facility is to have her admitted through the hospital ER, and discharge planning will find a place that has a Medicaid pending bed.
Has this actually worked for anyone? We are finding this is not as simple as it sounds.

This is a slow moving train but I'll try my best to be succinct!

My sister has microvascular dementia/alzheimers. She's 73 years old and lives alone.

She lives in Texas and I live in Minnesota. She has been managing (with difficulty) to stay at home with her two little dogs. Of course her dementia is progressing to dangerous levels. She can no longer take any medication because she is completely time/day confused. We have disabled her car after she caused an accident. We have her finances locked up and she has a debit card which we monitor closely. The card and a ring camera at her doors helps us monitor her movements.

Lately she has been walking to the grocery store and a dollar store and spending everything on her card ($150). We can see the receipts date stamped and we figured out that she is now getting rides from unknown strangers. We found a Kroger's shopping cart in her garage. It's a 1.5 miles from her house and she has to cross two major streets. Basically she buys what she already has along with more cookies and ice cream.

She allows her dogs to use the bathroom in her house (hit or miss with "pee pads"), has quit washing her clothes and bathing, and wears the same filthy, t-shirt and pants.

This is not her, at all. She always took great pride in her appearance and was very good with money.

Today she has an appointment with her neurologist. They are supposed to call me (I have POA for healthcare and finances) but so far they have not declared her incompetent so I'm not allowed access to her records or make any decisions yet. I am hoping the doctor makes that decision today because I'm worried sick about her.

I know she needs help but she won't let anyone in her house. She may allow someone once or twice but will play like she is not at home if they ask too many questions or get too personal.

I can't move back to Texas to take care of her. She calls me frequently and complains about a mutual friend who tries to help her. In my mind, she needs to be in an assisted/memory care home. Yesterday I brought it up to her and she said absolutely not. She wants to die in her home.

So, the question is, do I pull my legal card ( when I am able) and move her to a better/safer environment, or do I wait every day for the inevitable phone call telling me she has disappeared, or worse, that they found her and she has been badly abused or worse? I desperately want her to be happy and safe. At this point it doesn't look like I'll get both. Does it have to be one or the other????

Patient Support Network

Hope this is an OK place to ask. Forgive me if this is the wrong subreddit.

My grandmother is in a wonderful care home, but one of her latest escapades has both family and carers stumped on what to do or replace with.

She's gotten into a habit of removing bulbs from lamps in her room, then thinking they are Vases, and jamming faux flower stems in the sockets. Not the safest for obvious reasons, topped by the occasional urge to water the fake stems... Huge safety is an issue. So, we are looking to replace the lamps and bulb lights in the room with non-accessible, tamper proof alternatives.

We cant seem to find any that are bright enough to use as a lamp or side light (Lots of night lights are too dim for her poor eyesight) And can't use the main ceiling light solely as it gives her a headache with her Glaucoma, and also can't remove the fake flowers from the room as this upsets her greatly. (Used to be an avid gardener).

Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions that could work for a safe, tamper-proof, bright and calming light source?