I can't praise the lady we spoke to at the Memory Clinic enough. We managed to get mum there and the location was bright, wheelchair-friendly and welcoming. We came into the room with mum and all talked together, before we left mum for a while for some tests. The lady who did the assessment was able to tell us that there is certainly are certainly problems with mum's memory and general cognitive ability and her inability to read and interpret information is not necessarily caused by straight forward sight problems.
Just to have someone take the time to listen and give mum chance to put things into her own words and actually hear mum given the confidence to put across what she wanted to say and talk honestly about how she is feeling and how her capabilities have diminished was such a huge relief!
We've been told it could be a week or two before we hear again and there may be follow-up investigations. Mum has taken it all incredibly well and it seems to us anyway that she's somehow relived to have got everything out in the open. She's exhausted today and it hasn't helped that she's had people coming and going without much explanation (which was beyond my control)
It's taken over 2 years to get her to this stage i.e. accepting that Memory Clinic was a good idea! If anyone is reading this and still debating whether they need to make an appointment, or what difference it will make, all I can say is that it has already for us! It's not just that mum has finally 'done something' to confront her problems when she'd convinced herself that there was nothings he could do; it's also made a massive difference to those closest to her, because fingers crossed, we'll have a name for what we're fighting and just as importantly, silly as it may seem, we have validation. We know there is a problem, regardless of what other people who don't see mum that often may think and that it isn't all in our heads! We also know that we're on the right track. The lady who did the assessment said she had absolutely no idea how we had managed up until now and to hear someone say they understood and believed that we're working our socks off and pulling out all the stops to enable mum to stay at home and keep her safe and as happy as possible was just amazing after everything we've been through as a family.
I have nothing but respect and admiration for anyone seeking a diagnosis. I hope they realise how much their courage is appreciated by their loved ones
Just to have someone take the time to listen and give mum chance to put things into her own words and actually hear mum given the confidence to put across what she wanted to say and talk honestly about how she is feeling and how her capabilities have diminished was such a huge relief!
We've been told it could be a week or two before we hear again and there may be follow-up investigations. Mum has taken it all incredibly well and it seems to us anyway that she's somehow relived to have got everything out in the open. She's exhausted today and it hasn't helped that she's had people coming and going without much explanation (which was beyond my control)
It's taken over 2 years to get her to this stage i.e. accepting that Memory Clinic was a good idea! If anyone is reading this and still debating whether they need to make an appointment, or what difference it will make, all I can say is that it has already for us! It's not just that mum has finally 'done something' to confront her problems when she'd convinced herself that there was nothings he could do; it's also made a massive difference to those closest to her, because fingers crossed, we'll have a name for what we're fighting and just as importantly, silly as it may seem, we have validation. We know there is a problem, regardless of what other people who don't see mum that often may think and that it isn't all in our heads! We also know that we're on the right track. The lady who did the assessment said she had absolutely no idea how we had managed up until now and to hear someone say they understood and believed that we're working our socks off and pulling out all the stops to enable mum to stay at home and keep her safe and as happy as possible was just amazing after everything we've been through as a family.
I have nothing but respect and admiration for anyone seeking a diagnosis. I hope they realise how much their courage is appreciated by their loved ones
