Hi Everyone,
First time posting, I'm you've heard similar concerns and stories many times over, I just wish to get some advice or perhaps for my concerns and worries will be simmer down. Who knows, I may just be getting anxious and worried, but from what I have read, I think I may be on the right track.
My dad is relatively young, early 70s, but is pretty unhealthy compared to others his age. He had a minor heart attack in his early 50s, has type one diabetes, in his early 60s he broke his hip in a cycle accident and it has never been the same again, he now has to walk with a walking stick. He has always had a poor short term memory and we once all used to joke about it.
However, his memory problems have got worse over the past couple of years. We constantly need to remind him about events and dates and need to write down notes for him on his notepad. He is also getting confused with electrical products like the oven and television, and tend to blame it on the things not being responsive or the cooker being confusing. 9 times out of ten, it will be down to human error. He has on two occasions in the last few months unplugged the fridge and freezer, because they were just too loud (in his defense, that buzzing can get a little annoying from time to time), but then forgot and left them unplugged for several hours until someone else noticed. Also, his fine motor skills have started to get worse and worse, I often have to ask him if I can help get his pills ready for him, mostly he says no, and I will let him get on with it, but he will drop things on the floor and struggle. His handwriting, while eligible, has been slowly getting messy. Also, even with the hip, he has become more iffy on his feet. His speech gets slurred quite a lot, and he can never really remember the right words and can struggle to be clear.
about 6 months ago, his wife of nearly 50 years died after a long battle with cancer. This obviously hit him very hard, but it seems problems have just got worse. After a whole helping of nagging and a lovely letter me and my sister wrote, he went and spoke with his GP, after insisting for a while that there were no problems. After speaking with the doctor, the GP diagnosed him with depression, which yes, does make sense. But it seems the doctor has failed to take into account certain symptoms we mentioned. My dad insists that the test they did with him to check his memory was a series of questions about what day it is, who the monarch was etc. This does not seem at all thorough.... but what do i know.
We constantly worry about him, He is also starting to look much older, his skin has a tone of grey, he has lost a lot of weight over the least couple of years (he gets weighed by the diabetes team, they dont seem worried though). He is struggling to lift objects he once could only 6 months to a year ago. His eating is fine, and luckily, the very regimented structure of his meals and medication has not been a problem for him and he has been on top of it. He often sits in his chair with a glazed look in his eyes, but this may be the anti-depressives. He has also started peeing himself at night time maybe 2 or 3 times a week (he insists this is not the case, but we can smell it in his room, and why else would you be washing your bed covers at 6:00 in the morning.
Anyway, sorry for the long message, please can anyone offer help. Am i just being overly anxious and it's the depression, diabetes and old age. Or am i being right here? Should the GP have given a more intensive test before diagnosing him with depression? Because this doesn't seem right to me.
First time posting, I'm you've heard similar concerns and stories many times over, I just wish to get some advice or perhaps for my concerns and worries will be simmer down. Who knows, I may just be getting anxious and worried, but from what I have read, I think I may be on the right track.
My dad is relatively young, early 70s, but is pretty unhealthy compared to others his age. He had a minor heart attack in his early 50s, has type one diabetes, in his early 60s he broke his hip in a cycle accident and it has never been the same again, he now has to walk with a walking stick. He has always had a poor short term memory and we once all used to joke about it.
However, his memory problems have got worse over the past couple of years. We constantly need to remind him about events and dates and need to write down notes for him on his notepad. He is also getting confused with electrical products like the oven and television, and tend to blame it on the things not being responsive or the cooker being confusing. 9 times out of ten, it will be down to human error. He has on two occasions in the last few months unplugged the fridge and freezer, because they were just too loud (in his defense, that buzzing can get a little annoying from time to time), but then forgot and left them unplugged for several hours until someone else noticed. Also, his fine motor skills have started to get worse and worse, I often have to ask him if I can help get his pills ready for him, mostly he says no, and I will let him get on with it, but he will drop things on the floor and struggle. His handwriting, while eligible, has been slowly getting messy. Also, even with the hip, he has become more iffy on his feet. His speech gets slurred quite a lot, and he can never really remember the right words and can struggle to be clear.
about 6 months ago, his wife of nearly 50 years died after a long battle with cancer. This obviously hit him very hard, but it seems problems have just got worse. After a whole helping of nagging and a lovely letter me and my sister wrote, he went and spoke with his GP, after insisting for a while that there were no problems. After speaking with the doctor, the GP diagnosed him with depression, which yes, does make sense. But it seems the doctor has failed to take into account certain symptoms we mentioned. My dad insists that the test they did with him to check his memory was a series of questions about what day it is, who the monarch was etc. This does not seem at all thorough.... but what do i know.
We constantly worry about him, He is also starting to look much older, his skin has a tone of grey, he has lost a lot of weight over the least couple of years (he gets weighed by the diabetes team, they dont seem worried though). He is struggling to lift objects he once could only 6 months to a year ago. His eating is fine, and luckily, the very regimented structure of his meals and medication has not been a problem for him and he has been on top of it. He often sits in his chair with a glazed look in his eyes, but this may be the anti-depressives. He has also started peeing himself at night time maybe 2 or 3 times a week (he insists this is not the case, but we can smell it in his room, and why else would you be washing your bed covers at 6:00 in the morning.
Anyway, sorry for the long message, please can anyone offer help. Am i just being overly anxious and it's the depression, diabetes and old age. Or am i being right here? Should the GP have given a more intensive test before diagnosing him with depression? Because this doesn't seem right to me.
). He doesn't seem to be as forgetful as your dad, but BiL reports that he is very often irritable and ungrateful, so visiting can be a minefield. All I can suggest is that you refuse to take responsibility for him when he is home and insist on a Needs Assessment with the medical staff/SW etc before he leaves. I think an OT should also be assessing his home and supplying aids before he gets there. I'm sure others will be along soon to advise too....I haven't got the practical experience of this yet, but it may be coming up 
