Dementia

[Florence Fennel]

G4 you've got a wicked sense of humour!

[Brengirl]

Yeh that too G4, how dare he!!!
Being serious, if I ever can, he continues to live in the past. Anything relevant to our daily lives he just cannot absorb. I can tritely say he is sending me bonkers. He relies on me to tell him where he is supposed to be and at what time. Not once but again and again.
There have been times when he is trying to perform a task that he has done many times before and he will look at me with blank eyes just as if there is nobody at home. He constantly refers to himself as a silly old fart. I recently suggested that he consults the doctor but he is such a silly old fart I know he will do nothing. Maybe it's best that we all decline slowly into oblivion. What a good way to go.

[Glutton4...]

Perhaps you do too much for him, Bren! It doesn't hurt to let one's partner do certain things for themselves from time to time. For example; my Husband makes me cook occasionally (the swine!). I also have to change my own car wheel if I have a puncture. If he wants a shirt ironed, he is quite capable of doing it himself. That way, we both appreciate what the other one does for us.

Another example is; I used to be very good at remembering telephone numbers. Never needed to look any numbers up. Then I got a mobile and stored all the numbers on it, and my brain stopped remembering them. I'm now absolutely useless at remembering numbers!

[FionaH]

Bren would strongly suggest you get him to the doctors

[Brengirl]

I could and maybe I will but I keep trying to give him confidence and boost his morale. He is and has always been such a lovely old softy - even silly old fart - that I am scared of giving him a challenge that he will fail. Oh dear Oh dear Oh dear.

[FionaH]

Just get him to the docs and let an expert take a look at him

[lizzylemon]

Seems to me you cant really fail at having Dementia, you either have it or you don't but but you can fail to get it diagnosed / treatment early on.

[MrsC]

Seems to me you cant really fail at having Dementia, you either have it or you don't but but you can fail to get it diagnosed / treatment early on.

I totally agree. I noticed my Aunty 6+ years ago and spoke about it, it took a while for people listen, I was right unfortunately. Prior to working in a school I worked in mental health units/special needs units etc.

[StephenH]

I have just discovered that Alzheimer's and Dementia are two different things as a neighbour of my dad's has been diagnosed with dementia.....not sure what the difference is tho' ......time to go goggle

Well, not quite - Alzheimer's is dementia, but dementia isn't necessarily Alzheimers: there are other forms of it, such as multi-infarct dementia.
My ex-wife, who is 57, appears to be in the very early stages of multi-infarct dementia, which is the result of lots of mini-strokes: she's had a series of strokes, both full-scale and mini, and her short-term memory is getting very poor.

[Brengirl]

Really sorry to learn this Stephen. Do hope the progression is slow.

[Florence Fennel]

When my dear late mum started with Alzheimers, it was obvious to her as well as me (this is about 15 years ago). For example, she would tell me the same thing about 3 times within a few minutes. At the end of a meal one day, she picked up her handbag and put the dirty knife and fork into it. She then looked at me and said "I've done it again, haven't I?" It was heartbreaking as her symptoms escalated rapidly and while I was watching this happening, she became totally unaware as her memories became totally jumbled, or slipped away altogether. If you seriously think he's struggling, go with him to the doctor Bren.

[StephenH]

Really sorry to learn this Stephen. Do hope the progression is slow.

Thanks. So do I. We've been divorced many years, but are still good chums, especially since her second husband dumped her for a younger, fitter woman, the rat. Unfortunately, her health is very poor nowadays generally - she is blind and hard of hearing, and has asthma.

[Brengirl]

As you may have gathered from my other post my man is a man of little words. I always talk and discuss everything with him and am quite sure it has always gone in one ear and out the other. I am finding it hard to decide whether he has always been (cannot think of the word) but am sure you can suggest one. I have suggested that we both attend the docs and both be certified if necessary and take medicine as prescribed. hope I don't get egg on my face.

[Two_Sheds]

I am finding it hard to decide whether he has always been (cannot think of the word) ...

is it yerself you're worried about Bren, or him?

I'm kidding, I know you can take a joke

I don't know if anyone else has posted them, but these are the signs to look out for

[Brengirl]

Thankyou TS. That was very informative. Reading the symptoms we both seem to be within the bounds. I have only been alerted to the so called problem because he himself is also aware of it and I suspect at times he uses it as an alibi. Makes no sense to me does he really want to be regarded as a fool!!