Gp dosnt see dementia?? ? ?

[Onmyown]

6yrs since mums brainscan vascular deterioration and two GPS later and I'm just so fed up. Her new GP does not see dementia????? Has seen her four times this year for 15mins and one mini mental test where she scored 27/30? Really what's the story with GPS? I'm battling dementia on my own with nothing but stress from family and the medical profession. I've told her she's not a shrink and that in the year my mother has been here she's done nothing. I told her to have my mother properly assessed. So sick of this. Bad enough I get zero support from family but medical professionals are a disgrace.

 

[karaokePete]

Those mini tests are, in my opinion, a joke. I am given to understand that they were never intended as a diagnostic tool but are used because they are convenient for time poor GPs.

During the summer my wife had a visit from a CPN and she used the test. My wife had to think long and hard about some of the questions but scored 30/30 (much to my surprise!). As you know, some of the questions are 'day', 'year' and 'date'. The test was done on Tues 5th September - all of which she got right. The next day my wife started with the usual question, "What date is it?" so, having been so impressed the day before, I said "You tell me" to which she replied "18th of June" - go figure!!

 

[Onmyown]

Those mini tests are, in my opinion, a joke. I am given to understand that they were never intended as a diagnostic tool but are used because they are convenient for time poor GPs.

During the summer my wife had a visit from a CPN and she used the test. My wife had to think long and hard about some of the questions but scored 30/30 (much to my surprise!). As you know, some of the questions are 'day', 'year' and 'date'. The test was done on Tues 5th September - all of which she got right. The next day my wife started with the usual question, "What date is it?" so, having been so impressed the day before, I said "You tell me" to which she replied "18th of June" - go figure!!

 

[Onmyown]

Thanks Pete, I really don't know what more I can do now except wait for the geriatrics apt which will take months then they see what they see and what do we know we are only carers??? Do the medical profession really know how much added stress they cause? There's times I wonder if she's got dementia or I'm going nuts!

 

[jenniferpa]

I often think that gps don't make a diagnosis because they know, basically, there is nothing they can do. I'm not sure if it's a conciously decision (I don't want to tell patients they have a terminal disease which I can do nothing about) or if it's more a feeling that labeling people isn't helpful. Not that either position makes it easier for you.

The reality is that many people never get a formal diagnosis and you just have to keep on keeping on.

 

[chick1962]

Have you considered talking to an admiral nurse or carer support? They offer great support and advice and help you with certain difficulties?

 

[Bunpoots]

The mini mental tests don't seem to work well on clever people who can still think their way round them in spite of having dementia. If our GP had assessed my dad purely on that basis he would not have been diagnosed until mid stages. Fortunately dad's GP realised that there was probably something wrong when dad was late for an appointment one day having completely lost his bearings...

We knew dad was getting a bit forgetful but the it wasn't til the GP phoned me because he was worried that he was diagnosed. Is there another GP at your practice who has experienced dementia?

 

[Fullticket]

Agree with Bunpots about thinking around the mini mental health tests. Mum cannot remember diddlysquat but if a test is coming up she will go into 'hostess' mode. This involves reading the calendar on the wall to find out the date (doh!) and, when, remembering the 'objects,' our GP always does apple, banana, cup (ABC). Fortunately King George is still on the throne and Tony Blair the Prime Minister. Also we have been dismissed from Adult Mental Health because the drugs they were insisting on giving her gave her so many adverse side effects we stopped them. They were so 'cross' with me for 'defying' them that we have not heard a word from them in 18 months/2 years. So I battle on alone with a bit of help from the council.

 

[jugglingmum]

My mum performed well on this test, one CPN I saw said there was no point doing them with my mum as she was high functioning beforehand (ie clever) and so they found they didn't mean much in these cases. I have always said it is the processing skills which caused more problems than the memory loss. She knows the day and date quite well, but hasn't a clue that she should shower or how to cook a meal.

Ultimately I think that until you have seen dementia close hand you don't really understand it, when people ask after my mum and I tell them the position I can instantly tell who has seen dementia close up.

When we took her to a GP it was due to an acute crisis so he started diagnosis procedure there and then with a memory clinic referral, diagnosis still took 6 months. As she has Alz she is on donepezil, which hopefully is slowing progression, but unless it is Alz, there is no medication, and support needs to come via SS or if self funding arranged yourself.

 

[Lawson58]

OH breezes through any of those tests but has no recollection of his family home where he lived for the first twenty-two years of his life, does not remember travelling through South America ten years ago though he knows he's been there, nor does he recall holidays in Fiji, Bali etc.

His short term memory is still functioning reasonably well and he plays bridge several times a week. But memory isn't the only thing that indicates any of the dementias. Any memory test is just a tool that might be helpful in getting a diagnosis.

 

[LynneMcV]

When my husband scored 27 out of 30 I was amazed - because his difficulties at that time were very evident and he had already been diagnosed with a non specific dementia. The specialist dementia consultant told me at that time not to be thrown by the fact that 27 out of 30 sounded good. She said that the scoring was very intricate, and that for the purpose of this particular test, scoring 27 showed a definite problem.

Within six months my husband had sadly declined to the point of having no mental capacity. He has never been given the test since because there is no longer any point in doing so.

 

[Claire-5000]

I would formally ask for a 2nd opinion or change GP. My dad's old GP was useless and I blame her for him nearly dying (he had a bleeding disorder I didn't know about and he'd forgotten about. The GP knew and knew he had a bad memory, but left him untreated. He collapsed in a pool or blood and had to he resuscitated). Anyway, she was terrible so I changed him to my GP and she's amazing. We got him diagnosed and now we even have NHS nurses going in twice a day, rather than paid for carers.

The MME is a waste of time. Dad still scored highly on it, but does increasingly worse on the more detailed Addenbrookes test and no one could say now he doesn't have dementia!