Whats the youngest age for Dementia?

witchpig

Registered User
Dec 31, 2011
270
0
Maidstone Kent
Im asking the above question as my sister who is 39yrs is behaving just the same way as my mum( who we know has mild dementia).

Im having enough trouble keeping mum under "control" i dont want my sister as well.
She is accusing me of keeping money from her- she gets more money than me as she is on benifits, She just spends spends.
She excepts me to run around at her beck and call, arranges for me to pick her daughter up from camp then cancels me with 10 mins notice. Then slags me off to her friends.
She tried to turn violent the other day but i walked away.
She throws a tantrum if things dont go her way.
She forgets things that weve told her then accuses us of not telling her.
She even walked back to her old house where she hasnt lived for 18months last week. Her old nieghbour called me to come and collect her.
She wont go to the drs as she reckons theres nothing wrong and its me thats the problem.

If this keeps on i might go and find a isolated island and live on it for awhile.
 

Noorza

Registered User
Jun 8, 2012
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Oh dear what a mess. What I'd do is talk to her GP, so the next time she goes in for routine visits they might try to assess her surreptitiously.
 

Noorza

Registered User
Jun 8, 2012
6,541
0
Im asking the above question as my sister who is 39yrs is behaving just the same way as my mum( who we know has mild dementia).

Im having enough trouble keeping mum under "control" i dont want my sister as well.
She is accusing me of keeping money from her- she gets more money than me as she is on benifits, She just spends spends.
She excepts me to run around at her beck and call, arranges for me to pick her daughter up from camp then cancels me with 10 mins notice. Then slags me off to her friends.
She tried to turn violent the other day but i walked away.
She throws a tantrum if things dont go her way.
She forgets things that weve told her then accuses us of not telling her.
She even walked back to her old house where she hasnt lived for 18months last week. Her old nieghbour called me to come and collect her.

She wont go to the drs as she reckons theres nothing wrong and its me thats the problem.

If this keeps on i might go and find a isolated island and live on it for awhile.

Forgot to say it's the bits I've highlighted that gives me cause for concern the rest could just be sibling nastiness. Whilst it could be a lot of things causing these things to happen, it does need to be assessed by a GP.
 

witchpig

Registered User
Dec 31, 2011
270
0
Maidstone Kent
Ive tried contacting her dr but for some reason she keeps changing her drs. I spoken to her children to see if they know which drs she is with but so far they havent got back to me.
As for sibling nastiness i agree she can be nasty but it was her children who first asked me for help with her. They could see there was a problem but didnt know how to help, I think alot more has been going on behind closed doors. I am hoping that her eldest child will tell me whats been going on, Im having the child over to stay with me this week as we need some auntie niece time.
 

Noorza

Registered User
Jun 8, 2012
6,541
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Ive tried contacting her dr but for some reason she keeps changing her drs. I spoken to her children to see if they know which drs she is with but so far they havent got back to me.
As for sibling nastiness i agree she can be nasty but it was her children who first asked me for help with her. They could see there was a problem but didnt know how to help, I think alot more has been going on behind closed doors. I am hoping that her eldest child will tell me whats been going on, Im having the child over to stay with me this week as we need some auntie niece time.


That sounds like a very good idea.
 

Nanak

Registered User
Mar 25, 2010
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Brisbane Australia
Does your sister take any medication? Or has she stopped taking medication recently?
39 does seem awfully young for dementia, but I agree those symptoms would be worrying.
Hopefully you get some answers from your niece.
Nanak (Kim)
 

Onlyme

Registered User
Apr 5, 2010
4,992
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UK
Ive tried contacting her dr but for some reason she keeps changing her drs.

Could this be because they have spotted something and tried to get her to go for tests? As soon as the new Dr gets the notes from the last Dr with the referral info on them they would press the issue and she jumps ship again. Perhaps her children have noticed and are pressing the Dr for help.

Just a guess.
 

kingmidas1962

Registered User
Jun 10, 2012
3,534
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South Gloucs
If you can pin down which GP she is currently at you could write a letter to them with your concerns. Perhaps she could be invited in for a check up as a 'new patient'? That may not be possible of course.

This is a very worrying time - please dont be offended by any of these possibilities I mention here ... there are other things that can cause these kinds of behaviours. Mental illness is a massive issue and not the easiest thing to diagnose. Similarly medicine misuse - either prescribed or illegal - can cause any of the behavioural traits you mention.

Its a great idea to spend some time with your niece - no doubt things will emerge during the course of the conversations you have! It's a difficult situation and thinking of you xxx

Enjoy the time with your niece
 

Nebiroth

Registered User
Aug 20, 2006
3,510
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"dementia" is not a disease, it is a group of symptoms. There are a number of possible diseases that can cause these symptoms.

The most common ones, that is, Alzheimer's and Vascular, are predominantly of old age. They are very rare in people aged under 60.

Early-onset disease, by it's very name, indicates disease that strikes at younger people. Unlike old-age onset, inheritance is more important - people with parents who had early onset are at a higher risk.

Even so, 39 is very young. A doctor would almost certainly want to perform tests to exclude diseases and conditions that cause dementia-like symptoms, for example, certain vitamin deficiencies, diabetes for this reason. This might include things like strokes. Also, othe rmental illnesses such as schizophrenia potentially cause at least some of these symptoms. Most of these problems are treatable, whereas something like early-onset Alzheimer's is not.
 

witchpig

Registered User
Dec 31, 2011
270
0
Maidstone Kent
Thank you all for your advice. I think for once i might have been a bit quick with my idea of dementia, i was talking to a good friend of mine who has BiPolar. She said my sisters symptoms sound the same as when she was first ill. I looked up on the nhs website for bipolar and all of my sisters symptoms came up. So it looks like it might not be dementia.:eek:

If its bipolar i will just have to cope with it and help as much as i can. Perhaps i should retrain as a mental health nurse;)

And people wonder why i prefer animals:D.
 

Shash7677

Registered User
Sep 15, 2012
1,671
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Nuneaton, warwickshire
There was a section on here about early onset dementia that Would be worth having a look at and seeing the age range of the posters. There is a gentleman who's wife is 43.

However, there are other things as you and other have said that may be causing your sisters symptoms.

I hope you get done answers soon,

Sharon x
 
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Isabella41

Registered User
Feb 20, 2012
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Northern Ireland
I work in mental health in the NHS. Whilst its not unheard of for someone to be diagnosed with dementia at 39 it is very rare. Based on what you say however I would be pretty sure your sister does have some form of mental illness but without a proper mental health assessment it would be impossible to say which one as so many have overlapping traits and symptoms. The good news is however that the majority of mental illnesses are treatable and controllable with medication. I've seen very ill people who were sectioned they were so ill get treated successfully and go back to leading perfectly normal lives. The big problem is going to be getting your sister assessed. Just a thought but if your mum has a CPN who does home visits could you ask her to have a word with your sister. It may be worth a shot.

Isabella
 

Barry

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Oct 14, 2006
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Indonesia
I can understand your concern ‘witchpig’ and you really need to consult with your doctor about this, but to answer your question OK I was diagnose with dementia at the age of 58 but since then I have come across some very young people at my doctors surgery in their early 20s that have dementia... I even read of a girl of 9 years old that has dementia
 

nicoise

Registered User
Jun 29, 2010
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Don't forget also alcohol can produce personality changes, forgetfulness, etc etc.

There was a member quite some time ago who posted on the early onset section because she, her husband and their children were suffering from brain changes due to carbon monoxide poisoning from a faulty boiler in their house, and the damage was being called dementia; so we're back to the banner heading of dementia being used to name permanent brain damage which presents with a set of symptoms.

Living with or around anyone who has mental changes for whatever reason can be very difficult, so I wish you luck, and hopefully some helpful treatment for your sister at some point.