I persuaded my husband to go to the doctors as his short term memory was getting bad. He got a referral to be assessed which I attended with him but the result of this was that he could not be diagnosed as they considered his alcohol consumption was well over the normal. I know he does drink too much but he is not a drunkard and at age 83 he is unlikely to change the habits of a lifetime. I feel like I've come up against a brick wall and that I am on my own with dealing with his dementia. I have talked to someone at our surgery and although she is sympathetic there is little they can do. She has given me some Help Line nos.
Dementia and Alcohol
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If I’ve read that correctly, they refused to assess him because he drinks more than 2 drinks an evening 6 days a week 
I don’t think they asked Mum, but from living abroad, where it’s normal to drink every day, rather more than the in the UK, her normal intake would be considered high, but she was assessed. I appreciate that doesn’t help you, but are you able to go back to the doctor & say, this for him is normal.
Maybe find out what he needs to reduce to for them to test him & do that for a week or a few weeks. Maybe tell your OH that you want him to support you in not drinking for November to raise money for a charity you believe in, or to put the money saved towards a fantastic dream holiday
Sometimes we have to tell little lies (or great big ones) to get our PWD (Person With Dementia) the help they need (tell our PWD, not others)
I don’t think they asked Mum, but from living abroad, where it’s normal to drink every day, rather more than the in the UK, her normal intake would be considered high, but she was assessed. I appreciate that doesn’t help you, but are you able to go back to the doctor & say, this for him is normal.
Maybe find out what he needs to reduce to for them to test him & do that for a week or a few weeks. Maybe tell your OH that you want him to support you in not drinking for November to raise money for a charity you believe in, or to put the money saved towards a fantastic dream holiday
Sometimes we have to tell little lies (or great big ones) to get our PWD (Person With Dementia) the help they need (tell our PWD, not others)
Given that alcohol use can be involved in Korsakoff Syndrome I would have thought that it is worth pressing for an assessment.
Was your husband affected by alcohol at the time at the time of the consultation? Sometimes there can be a level of alcohol in the blood the next morning after a few drinks from the night before and I would imagine that it would be difficult to do an accurate assessment if this was the case.
If I’ve read that correctly, they refused to assess him because he drinks more than 2 drinks an evening 6 days a week
I don’t think they asked Mum, but from living abroad, where it’s normal to drink every day, rather more than the in the UK, her normal intake would be considered high, but she was assessed. I appreciate that doesn’t help you, but are you able to go back to the doctor & say, this for him is normal.
Maybe find out what he needs to reduce to for them to test him & do that for a week or a few weeks. Maybe tell your OH that you want him to support you in not drinking for November to raise money for a charity you believe in, or to put the money saved towards a fantastic dream holiday
Sometimes we have to tell little lies (or great big ones) to get our PWD (Person With Dementia) the help they need (tell our PWD, not others)
Thank you for your response to my thread. You have read correctly. I have today spoken to the Dementia Support Service in my area and found them very helpful. They are going to give us a home visit which I am confident will give me the support we need.
Thank you for your response to my thread. I must say I was very upset when I received the result of the appointment and did take it up at our local surgery where I was given some Help Line nos. to try. I have today spoken to the Dementia Support Service in my area and found them very helpful. They are going to give us a home visit which I hope will give me the support we need and move forward with the assessment.
Thank you for your response to my thread. I must say I was very upset when I received the result of the appointment and did take it up at our local surgery where I was given some Help Line nos. to try. I have today spoken to the Dementia Support Service in my area and found them very helpful. They are going to give us a home visit which I hope will give me the support we need and move forward with the assessment.
Thank you for your response to my thread. No, my husband was not affected by alcohol at the time of the consultation but they asked if he did drink and how much he drank. They advised it was too much. It is normal for my husband to drink every day and in my opinion this should not stop him getting assessed. I have today spoken to the Dementia Support Service in my area and found them very helpful. They are going to give us a home visit which I hope will give me the support we need and move forward with the assessment.
