Short Term Memory

Baker65

Hello

I am having a hard time seeing my mom like this.  I lived with her for a long time and we used to do a lot of things together.  Now since she was diagnosed with early on dementia.  Me and my brothers are tying to get her healthy again.  She gets tired very easy and has a hard time doing things on her own.  It wears her out very fast.  I live with her and taking care of her.  All she does in sit in her chair and does crossword puzzles and watch TV.  She is 84 years old.

SusanB-dil

Hi Baker - welcome to 'here'... 

No, it sure isn't easy to see our loved ones decline.  but not sure how you mean you are trying to get her healthy.  from the dementia? or from fatigue?  and at 84, you probably mean early-stage of dementia (early onset is under 65)?  Unfortunately, that part doesn't go away.  and it is probably the reason she is having a hard time doing things. It could be the cause of her being more tired, depending on what stage, and also what her actual activity level had been before.  

editing to adding - yes, crossword puzzles, excellent!  agreeing with RIM, about checking vitamin levels, too...

RIM

Your mother is doing crossword puzzles, that’s a very good thing.

You can try a number of methods which may in fact help her energy and cognition:

Review her medications, as they can adversely effect memory and cognition and energy.

If not doing so already, give her B12 and vitamin D supplements which may give her more energy and help cognition.  Melatonin can help her sleep better at night and reduce confusion, if she experiences late afternoon confusion.

Exposing her to visual and audio gamma frequencies, may increase her memory and cognition. Essential Oils have improved memory and cognition for folks.  

You can research ways to increase memory and cognition on the Clinical Trials Board of this web site.  Lane Simonian provides in depth information concerning these topics.

harshedbuzz

Baker65 wrote:

Hello

I am having a hard time seeing my mom like this.  I lived with her for a long time and we used to do a lot of things together.  Now since she was diagnosed with early on dementia. 

Early stage dementia? Early onset is reserved for people who are diagnosed younger.

Me and my brothers are tying to get her healthy again. 

Dementia is a symptom. Most of the underlying causes--Alzheimer's, Vascular, FTD-- are terminally illnesses. You might be able to improve her quality-of- life somewhat, but "healthy again" is not likely an option. (My dad had mixed dementia-- one of which was a vitamin deficiency treated in the hospital with IV. He did improve quite a bit until his Alzheimer's progressed further. A good doctor will have ruled this out ahead of diagnosis)

 She gets tired very easy and has a hard time doing things on her own.  It wears her out very fast.  I live with her and taking care of her.  All she does in sit in her chair and does crossword puzzles and watch TV.  She is 84 years old.

Dementia is about so much more than memory loss. Other losses include a loss of empathy (understanding you might want to do something fun with her), initiative (starting and sticking with an activity) and executive function (being able to plan and execute some activity). You would also expect to see apathy (where a person no longer cares to participate in the activities that used to bring her pleasure).

Trying to keep up with people who have not had a cognitive shift is tiring for those who have. There's a thread on the other board in which a PWD equates being asked an opinion with torture. 

I am not one who believes crosswords preserve cognition or slow things. My aunt did them. When I cleaned out her house I found a 12' long closet stuffed to the ceiling with them and more under her bed. She did them until she couldn't. 


This might be a useful read for you.

12 pt Understanding the Dementia Experience (dementiacarestrategies.com)

HB