Concerned over my mother in law

[Decoman]

Dear All,
I am a little concerned over my very beloved mother in law. She is very dear to me. The thing i am conerned over is this - who ever and when ever she is having a conversation with, we always seem to go round in this "endless loop" of the same conversation. When you give her the answers to any questions she might ask its as if she does not listen or retain what you have told her. Then hey presto you end up talking about the same exact thing etc "endless loop" You sort of start to think why bother asking me if you are not going to listen to what i have just told you?

Just wondering if any one else has had this experience with elderly relatives?

Is this type of behaivour a sign of Dementia/ Alzheimers ?

Regards

A concerned caring son in law.

 

[Shedrech]

hello @Decoman
and welcome to TP
the looping, repetitive conversations sound very familiar - are there other behaviours and abilities that have changed?
whether as a result of dementia or some other cause, only the medics will be able to sort out - is there any chance of having your mother-in-law's GP check her over? - other conditions can have dementia like symptoms, eg vit B12 deficiency, stress ... the GP can test for these
maybe have a look at this booklet (and there are others on the main AS site - see the link top right of this page)
What is dementia? (400)

 

[Beate]

Yes, this is very typical of dementia. Endless repetitions occur because the short term memory is shot to pieces, not because the person is not bothering to listen. Just show patience and compassion.