Its just his age and being stubborn!

[Linbrusco]

Yes! This is what our family GP told my sister, when she took Dad 80 for a check up.
I had previously emailed our GP with concerns over Dads... not so much immediate short term memory, but cognition, judgement, behaviour, personal hygiene and eating habits.
We have had several incidences lately, one involving the police.
I wanted him referred back to our Hospital Memory Team.
GP says there is no need!

Dad was diagnosed with cognitive impairment 4 yrs ago, his brain MRI showed frontal lobe atrophy. We feel he has Frontal Temporal Lobe dementia.
But yet our GP prescribed Dad 5mg of Donepezil!
No further blood tests or ECG like Mum had when she was diagnosed with Alzheimers 5 yrs ago.

I havent got the will or energy to challenge it. I am currently dealing with my 15yo daughters health issues and have had to take a leave of absence from work.
I have however been in contact with our local Dementia Team, and my siblings will have to help.
As my brother is currently living with Dad ( who live behind me)
until he finds the situation intolerable, our Dementia Team asked if he would go on a Carers Course.
I laughed!

 

[karaokePete]

Oh dear, that sounds a bit off the mark, to say the least!

However, more than once I've read that some medical professionals seem to have limited appreciation of dementia. I suppose they can't all be experts in every field. Would there be an alternative doctor at the surgery who would look at your Dad's case. If so I would try that.

 

[canary]

I agree - try a different doctor if there is any way you can. Many doctors have never come across FTD and think it is like Alzheimers, so if there are no (or very few) short-term memory problems they think it cant be dementia

Watch out for the Donepezil. If it is FTD this can often increase aggression.

 

[myss]

I can recall my dad going to his GP practice before his diagnosis about his concerns about being sleepy and forgetful. The doctor he saw told him that he was worrying about nothing and that it was just old age..... My dad felt insulted and nearly refused to go back, but he went with my mum and they saw another doctor who referred him to the memory clinic.

 

[emp]

@Linbrusco can you get a second opinion? As karaokepete has said, not all doctors are well informed about dementia and if it is frontal lobe like you suspect it may not match the GP's expectation of how someone with a dementia can present. You also mention the police have been involved - sometimes they have powers to instigate a referral to the memory team or social services

 

[Linbrusco]

After being Mums GP until she went into care, and previous Drs visits with my Dad, I didnt expect him to say that Dad didnt need referring back to the Memory Team.
In any case I have by passed him, gone straight to our local Dementia Team, and they are coming to see Dad tomorrow to sign a sevice agreement, with a referral to the Memory Team and assesment in 3-4 weeks.

 

[jugglingmum]

You know full well what you are dealing with, but for what it's worth, my mum scored highly enough on the MMSE initially to not be even in MCI category, her brain scan showed 'normal brain shrinkage for age' - she was 84 when the scan was done.

Her diagnosis stated based on behaviour.

This was after crisis had hit, she was no longer capable of cooking, driving (although she thought she was) general housework, changing clothes, washing - ie the normal dementia issues.

I just hope one day that the GPs and Drs diagnosing dementia wake up to reality that dementia doesn't show up from an MMSE test, or even brain scan, thankfully the ones dealing with my mum did.