Anyone Else Have an Issue with the Memory Clinic

hellseer

Registered User
May 17, 2017
13
0
My dad's CPN is as useless as chocolate teapot! When I talked to him about hallucinations and other stuff, he asked ME if I thought we should increase the dose of donepezil! When dad was diagnosed, the psychiatrist said, in dad's hearing, he will only get worse you know! (Well yes, I did know as I am not stupid, already realised he had dementia, and know dementia is a one way journey). I could hardly believe her attitude. No empathy, kindness, understanding. I could have hit her. I hope you have a better experience. Good luck

Thanks for your reply. Not met the psychiatrist yet, probably won't need to hit him or her as meeting my father could be a far worse experience ....
 

hellseer

Registered User
May 17, 2017
13
0
hi

My mum was diagnosed with vascular dementia in hospital and referred to the Memory Clinic who do annual reviews and nothing else. The nurses insist my mum answer questions even when it is blindingly obvious she cannot answer them or do their tests and she gets very upset and distressed. One time it took nearly 3 hours to calm her after the visit. They claim the consultant will tell them off if tests are not done. They say Social Services would need the results but ss are not interested as my mum is self funding!
We now tell the nurses before the appointment they are only able to asses her by gently talking to her and will not let them upset mum with test questions.

Interesting, I hadn't considered that side of it. The questioning annoys me ! My father just engages in game play.
 

hellseer

Registered User
May 17, 2017
13
0
hi

The only thing the memory clinic has done for my mum is diagnose her. They prescribed donezepil which made her worse and when I asked if she could stop taking them they discharged her. Only her GP looking after her now and that's only if I take her with some physical ailment.

Pretty much the same then. Got to wonder why this is.
 

hellseer

Registered User
May 17, 2017
13
0
hi

I've had a hopeless visit to the memory clinic this afternoon. Asked oh if he was happy, or did he want to kill himself, then told him to eat fruit and fish - and goodbye. Luckily my expectations weren't great....


Good to know what they do at the clinic. Asking that is way off key. I actually think these clinics need closing down.
 

MaNaAk

Registered User
Jun 19, 2016
11,748
0
Essex
Thanks for your reply. Not met the psychiatrist yet, probably won't need to hit him or her as meeting my father could be a far worse experience ....

This brings back memories of my grandmother and her visit to her GP about her bad foot. It was so bad it eventually had to be amputated but during this visit he looked at her foot and asked her what they should do!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyway she said maybe I should have antibiotics and he said what a good idea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When she and my mother (her carer) arrived back home and told us about it we suddenly lost confidence in that doctor.

MaNaAk
 

hellseer

Registered User
May 17, 2017
13
0
hi

This brings back memories of my grandmother and her visit to her GP about her bad foot. It was so bad it eventually had to be amputated but during this visit he looked at her foot and asked her what they should do!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anyway she said maybe I should have antibiotics and he said what a good idea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When she and my mother (her carer) arrived back home and told us about it we suddenly lost confidence in that doctor.

MaNaAk

i read your previous comment and guess you thought I'm being a bit picky but generally I think with doctors you have to connect in some fashion or other. But with what you're saying what happens when a doctor won't look at the obvious. What's with all the mental illness aspect of dementia, even the term itself has been redefined from what say Jung would have meant by it.

I'm not even critical of psychiatry generally but when it comes to dementia I think the memory clinics are actually standing in the way of progress. They're not doing the work and not prepared to pay attention to the people that are.
 
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Kevinl

Registered User
Aug 24, 2013
6,050
0
Salford
I'm not even critical of psychiatry generally but when it comes to dementia I think the memory clinics are actually standing in the way of progress. They're not doing the work and not prepared to pay attention to the people that are.

I've done the memory clinic thing twice, years ago with my mum and for the last few years with my wife and to be honest I found it almost pointless.
There's an expression "you don't make a pig fatter by weighing it 3 times a day", the tests usually brought on tears or aggression and at the end of the day there is no cure all there is, is the possible tweaks to medication what things like aggression or paranoia become an issue.
AZ is a Cinderella illness, why is it that the NHS has; hospitals, doctors, nurses, consultants, ambulances and machines that go beep yet when someone has a severe mental illness is apparently best cared for by me at home, on my own.
Where someone has a treatable illness then the NHS can work very well but when the illness is untreatable what can they do?
I came to wonder if the memory clinics weren't just a way of me being validated as a carer and measuring her decline was secondary. Maybe it's just a way of going through the motions (bad choice of phrase for those dealing with incontinence) so they are actually acknowledging that there is a sick person, just one they can't help.
K
 

Marnie63

Registered User
Dec 26, 2015
1,637
0
Hampshire
As for the memory clinic, we didn't have much experience of that as mum went from fairly well to very unwell in about three days, so my experience was only through visits from CPNs and Psychiatrists. But I have to say that they were all very good and visited us at home always as mum was so bad. They never rushed and they pointed me to other support services and other help, so good on them.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

MaNaAk

Registered User
Jun 19, 2016
11,748
0
Essex
i read your previous comment and guess you thought I'm being a bit picky but generally I think with doctors you have to connect in some fashion or other. But with what you're saying what happens when a doctor won't look at the obvious. What's with all the mental illness aspect of dementia, even the term itself has been redefined from what say Jung would have meant by it.

I'm not even critical of psychiatry generally but when it comes to dementia I think the memory clinics are actually standing in the way of progress. They're not doing the work and not prepared to pay attention to the people that are.

Thankyou Hellseer!

I think that despite the results of the memory test loved ones and carers know best. Dad's hearing didn't help at his last memory test and he was given a score of fifteen. When the doctor spoke to us together I had the impression that he couldn't believe that dad could still cook curries (albeit with me present!) and find his way home! The doctor was concerned about what care dad could receive when I go on holiday and I am in the middle of sorting this out but I would like him to talk to dad about getting out and doing things because he is still at a stage where he will listen to a medical person. He seems to remember that I am his daughter and therefore he shouldn't listen to me:rolleyes:! We are lucky to have the alzheimers society in the room next door in our hospital but I find the questionaire that I have to fill in mind boggling and so far it has been useless although some other people might disagree.

Hope you are managing okay also I have had experiences of my own where doctors have been too clinical and occasionally lacking in compassion.

Love

MaNaAk
 

Booboo29

Registered User
Apr 12, 2017
3
0
Lack of help

My mum was given a diagosis by memory clinic in 2011, then saw a nurse for 6 months while they sorted out her donepizil dosage. After this we have had no input from anyone there and even though I've asked about getting a CPN, I am constantly met with a brick wall! Feel like I need some input/help from someone.
 

Selinacroft

Registered User
Oct 10, 2015
936
0
I have to say I had a very different experience with the memory clinic for Dad. They were thoroughly professional and expert at getting to the bottom of things. Dad had the first assessment then the more detailed assessment followed by the Consultant visiting at home with diagnosis. They were all more than capable at seeing through the dementia bluff- the I'm ok leave me alone stuff.
Dad had a follow up visit 12 months later and they left me with piles of "stuff" from every subject you could think of including a lot of leaflet from the Alzheimers Society. Other things were info on benefits, info on support groups, memory cafes, sitters, CTAX, POA, brain training quizzes, info on services charities , help the aged- you name it they told me about it.
No medication and dad was referred back to GP but 10 out 10 for the service they provided-down south.
 

hellseer

Registered User
May 17, 2017
13
0
hi

My mum was given a diagosis by memory clinic in 2011, then saw a nurse for 6 months while they sorted out her donepizil dosage. After this we have had no input from anyone there and even though I've asked about getting a CPN, I am constantly met with a brick wall! Feel like I need some input/help from someone.

That's it in a nutshell, what's the consequences on the people doing the actual caring. The other day I noticed my fathers new penchant for stealing the post has coincided with him no longer bothering to answer the door. This insanity that is kind of invisible. In his head he doesn't get up and open the door because he is stealing the post. The why is a pointless question.
 

brioni

Registered User
Apr 19, 2017
8
0
London
My dad's CPN is as useless as chocolate teapot! When I talked to him about hallucinations and other stuff, he asked ME if I thought we should increase the dose of donepezil! When dad was diagnosed, the psychiatrist said, in dad's hearing, he will only get worse you know! (Well yes, I did know as I am not stupid, already realised he had dementia, and know dementia is a one way journey). I could hardly believe her attitude. No empathy, kindness, understanding. I could have hit her. I hope you have a better experience. Good luck
I had a similar experience when my wife was diagnosed at the beginning of this year when, in answer to a question from his CPN, the psychiatrist said, in my wife's hearing, that she would not get any better, but in a tone which indicated that she would only get worse. I wonder if this is a deliberate ploy by the medical profession? Anyway, it upset her and she still remembers what he said, which leads on to, "What's the point of going on, I'm only going to get worse. I want to die". It can be difficult to raise her from these depressive thoughts - but the point is that they wouldn't be there if the psychiatrist had been more circumspect with his comment.
 

yak55

Registered User
Jun 15, 2015
616
0
I've done the memory clinic thing twice, years ago with my mum and for the last few years with my wife and to be honest I found it almost pointless.
There's an expression "you don't make a pig fatter by weighing it 3 times a day", the tests usually brought on tears or aggression and at the end of the day there is no cure all there is, is the possible tweaks to medication what things like aggression or paranoia become an issue.
AZ is a Cinderella illness, why is it that the NHS has; hospitals, doctors, nurses, consultants, ambulances and machines that go beep yet when someone has a severe mental illness is apparently best cared for by me at home, on my own.
Where someone has a treatable illness then the NHS can work very well but when the illness is untreatable what can they do?
I came to wonder if the memory clinics weren't just a way of me being validated as a carer and measuring her decline was secondary. Maybe it's just a way of going through the motions (bad choice of phrase for those dealing with incontinence) so they are actually acknowledging that there is a sick person, just one they can't help.
K
I agree totally with you Kevinl!
There's nothing anyone can do for those who are in this situation, just words.........
 

Dutchman

Registered User
May 26, 2017
2,348
0
76
Devon, Totnes
I agree totally with you Kevinl!
There's nothing anyone can do for those who are in this situation, just words.........
I agree. Our experience was dire to say the least. I had to insist on privacy when being initially interviewed otherwise it was to be done in reception. When seeing the consultant we were faced with a directness bordering on harshness...here’s your diagnosis, get on with it and handed a file full of information. My wife it at that stage of VD that means she is argues and rants meaningfully but unfairly towards me. I can take so much aggression but feel it totally unfair that I can make no headway in making her see it’s unfair. I know it’s the condition but I’m not super compassionate and have emotions like everyone else. I hurt, I get upset, I want to get my own back, I want one day without being shouted at.
 

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