Instead, save your mental and physical health by picking your battles. Choose the top priorities and let the less important things go. Think about how important that thing will be in a week, month, or year. Have the tough conversations about medical decisions and choices Taking care of important legal documents like a will , living will , or power of attorney is something that many people want to put off. But talking about end of life choices and getting the paperwork done before a health emergency saves you from making hard choices or running into legal problems in the middle of a crisis.
Plus, many older adults have greater peace of mind when they know their wishes will be honored. Dementia physically damages the brain, which can affect personality, behavior, decision-making, and judgment.
Rather than fighting through and making the situation worse, stepping away to give them and you time to calm down can make a big difference. But finding ways to enjoy life and having good quality of life is still possible. Try to focus on the positives, no matter how small, and adapt activities for the abilities they still have.
My 93 year old mother has stage 4 Alzheimers and has lived on her own for 31 years. Mother has carers twice a day and has no recollection of them whatsoever. Mother is deaf, has an arthritic knee and is becoming increasingly incontinent. She refuses to wear hearing aids, glasses, slippers , incontinence underwear or use a walking stick. Mother is obsessed with her finances and constantly asks where her cheque book is and who has got her bank card.
She has managed to render her electric fire useless due to her obsession with the height of the flame which is barely visible when in use. The fire has been serviced and repaired 5 times this year so far.
Her senseless shopping lists which she writes daily are a reflection of her troubled mind. Meanwhile, she is a constant source of worry and concern. We await her further demise as she exists in her comfort bubble of ignorance and contentment.
The maximum MMSE score is 30 points. A score of 20 to 24 suggests mild dementia, 13 to 20 suggests moderate dementia, and less than 12 indicates severe dementia. During the Mini-Cog, a person is asked to complete two tasks:. A growing area of research is the development of devices to administer computer-based tests of thinking, learning and memory, called cognitive tests.
The U. Food and Drug Administration FDA has cleared several computerized cognitive testing devices for marketing. Computerized tests have several advantages, including giving tests exactly the same way each time. Using both clinical tests and computer-based tests can give physicians a clearer understanding of cognitive difficulties experienced by patients.
In addition to assessing mental status, the doctor will evaluate a person's sense of well-being to detect depression or other mood disorders that can cause memory problems, loss of interest in life, and other symptoms that can overlap with dementia. Genetic testing Researchers have identified certain genes that increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's and other rare "deterministic" genes that directly cause Alzheimer's.
Although genetic tests are available for some of these genes, health professionals do not currently recommend routine genetic testing for Alzheimer's disease. Risk genes: While there is a blood test for APOE-e4, the strongest risk gene for Alzheimer's, this test is mainly used in clinical trials to identify people at higher risk of developing Alzheimer's.
Carrying this gene mutation only indicates a greater risk; it does not indicate whether a person will develop Alzheimer's or whether a person has Alzheimer's.
Genetic testing for APOE-e4 is controversial and should only be undertaken after discussion with a physician or genetic counselor. Deterministic genes: Testing also is available for genes that cause autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease ADAD or "familial Alzheimer's," a rare form of Alzheimer's that accounts for 1 percent or less of all cases. Many people in these families do not wish to know their genetic status, but some get tested to learn whether they will eventually develop the disease.
A standard medical workup for Alzheimer's disease often includes structural imaging with magnetic resonance imaging MRI or computed tomography CT. These tests are primarily used to rule out other conditions that may cause symptoms similar to Alzheimer's but require different treatment.
Structural imaging can reveal tumors, evidence of small or large strokes, damage from severe head trauma, or a buildup of fluid in the brain. Imaging technologies have revolutionized our understanding of the structure and function of the living brain. Take the Brain Tour. This is usually done by a GP.
If you're referred to a specialist, a more detailed history will be taken. It helps if someone who knows you well is also with you, as they can help describe any changes or problems they've noticed. People with symptoms of dementia are given tests to check their mental abilities, such as memory or thinking. There are several different tests. Although these tests cannot diagnose dementia, they may show there are memory difficulties that need further investigation.
It's important to remember that test scores may be influenced by a person's level of education. For example, someone who cannot read or write very well may have a lower score, but they may not have dementia.
Similarly, someone with a higher level of education may achieve a higher score, but still have dementia. Your GP will arrange for blood tests to help exclude other causes of symptoms that can be confused with dementia.
If your doctor thinks you may have an infection, they may also ask you to do a urine test or other investigations. Brain scans are often used for diagnosing dementia once the simpler tests have ruled out other problems. Like memory tests, on their own brain scans cannot diagnose dementia, but are used as part of the wider assessment.
Not everyone will need a brain scan, particularly if the tests and assessments show that dementia is a likely diagnosis. These scans may also be used to check for evidence of other possible problems that could explain a person's symptoms, such as a stroke or a brain tumour.
A CT scan can be used to check for signs of stroke or a brain tumour. But it cannot provide detailed information about the structure of the brain.
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