Hi pussycat, from my experience the first home visit for my mum from the 'Memory Nurse' (CPN) involved the MMSE test, a blood pressure check, a general medical questionnaire and lots of general chat with both me and mum about how she/we were coping. All very informal - and comforting to have another 'professional' on board .... I have taken her up on her offer several times to ring if I have any questions or concerns. In my area the Memory Team includes Occupational Therapists too who can help with practical issues around the home ......
Mum's consultant had already 'suggested' Aricept - but she was required to have ECG tests before prescription (not sure that's routine but because of mum''s own health history) ... seemed it was the CPN's role to collate all test results then once satisfied, the 'authority' for the prescription was sent from the Memory Team direct to mum's GP. Don't be surprised if you asked to 'make yourself busy' while they nurse goes through the MMSE (I personally still haven't decided which has been the worst experience - watching mum struggle her way through it and fighting back the instinct to give her prompts or feeling I have abandoned her in another room while she gets anxious that someone is testing her intelligence, which it is not of course .....)
Again just from my experience of course, once Aricept had been prescribed, mum was started off on 5mg to see how she tolerated it ..... and the Memory Nurse came again for a general 'consultation' several weeks later before upping the does to the 10mg which the consultant had recommended. She has since visited, with or without an Occupational Therapist in tow, to perform MMSE and for general follow-up. My understanding is that in my partcuilar PCT the support from the Memory Nurse will cease when mum's medication does??????
I would urge you not to worry about the appointment but to see it as an opportunity to ask all the questions you need to .... and welcome it as one other source of support for both of you - your memory nurse should have a good knowledge of what support may be available locally that you may not have already uncovered for yourself .....
Love, Karen, x