My Mom keeps getting worse I live with elderly parents & its ruining my life

Nowayout · September 22

I think Mom has Alzheimers. She has seen a neurologist. He said maybe Alzheimers. Do some Doctors not tell people they have Alzheimers. She has had numerous tests including an EEG. A lot of times Mom keeps thinking someone else in the house. Mom fell last week. I called EMTs. They helped her get up and get her to bed. The next day I left a note for her NP at her primary clinic. I told them she fell and told them she is having more confusion and is not drinking enough water. She has been to the ER twice in the last 3 months. The ER doctors arent much help. They just wanted to get her in and out.

RMremdler · September 22

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/77179/my-mom-keeps-getting-worse-i-live-with-elderly-parents-its-ruining-my-life

There are a lot of tests and assessments that one must go through to get an accurate diagnosis. The average length of time to get a diagnosis is 3 years. Assuming you are in the US, there’s likely a lengthy wait for specialists. These are some of the challenges we are facing currently.
You mentioned that your mother has had numerous EEGs. What have they found? Has she had any blood work or imaging done?

Nowayout · September 22

She had one EEG. She had many other tests and blood tests.

caregiving daughter · September 24

I believe probable diagnosis is made by a neuro psychologist. They perform roughly a three hour exam to match behaviors to diagnosis. The intent is to determine what type of support services were needed for the patient. They provided a very thorough written report to my mom and I think she read it. Unfortunately, she was not able to understand the wording so really had no knowledge of what the diagnosis was or what it meant. The write up was given to my mom's PCP and this overall documentation provided what was needed to allow the powers of attorney to work. The legal documentation had been put in place years before. I was then able to make the necessary decisions. PCP then provided scripts for dementia medication. I don't believe an absolute diagnosis can been made until after passing. My mom's was combined vascular/ALZ.

Emily 123 · September 27

Alzheimer's can be definitively identified after death by an autopsy. Otherwise there are behavioral and physical changes that help identify what kind of dementia is most likely to be occurring. People can also have a 'mixed' dementia too, for instance: vascular dementia + Alzheimer's.

Scans and testing can identify physical or cognitive changes, and each type of dementia has a pattern of losses for the person that fit a profile, so the healthcare providers can make a presumptive diagnosis. For my mom it was 'dementia, likely Alzheimer's'.

Since you have already seen a neurologist it sounds like the findings lean more towards her having Alzheimer's. Alzheimer's shows up at first as memory issues, and the decline is fairly predictable. A neuropsychiatrist can perform cognitive testing, which usually takes several hours. It assesses what brain skills your person can do well, and where there are gaps—this creates a pattern that helps them identify what kind of dementia it might be.

It sounds like your mom's at the point where she might need more assistance/monitoring. These are two good resources.

understanding-the-dementia-experience.pdf

Tam-Cummings-LLC-Handouts-2.pdf

My Mom keeps getting worse I live with elderly parents & its ruining my life

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