I posted a while back that I was confused about my Dad's MMSE score of 11. Reading many posts/factsheets/websites, the score didn't tally with Dad's current state.
I requested that the CPN re-do the test (it was last done last May). Before she started, I explained certain factors such as English not being my Dad's mother tongue, his poor hearing, his lack of formal education (he was in a German labour camp as a child) etc.
The CPN allowed me to assist in the asking of the questions as she also concurred that the person that carried it out before had an extremely strong accent that even I could barely understand, let alone my Dad!
She was very understanding, and at the end of the test she revealed his score was actually 16/17.
She also revealed that their report before flagged the fact that they themselves didn't reconcile his score of 11 as being representative of how he presented himself.
We talked about medication, and she did say that she was happy to re-refer him to the consultant so that I could discuss medication.
However, given Dad's stability at the moment, I have chosen not to pursue that route.
He does have poor short term memory, he doesn't know the date, but that to me, is harmless. My biggest fear is that if we tried medication, and it didn't help his short term memory, that it would then be withdrawn and the withdrawal could cause a deterioration - the CPN actually agreed that this was a possibility, and her advice was that as there is no anxiety, depression or paranoia present, leave the medication alone for now.
I really think that today, I proved to her how language really did have a massive influence on the scores. Something, that they never challenged, despite being confused by their own results
Beverley x
I requested that the CPN re-do the test (it was last done last May). Before she started, I explained certain factors such as English not being my Dad's mother tongue, his poor hearing, his lack of formal education (he was in a German labour camp as a child) etc.
The CPN allowed me to assist in the asking of the questions as she also concurred that the person that carried it out before had an extremely strong accent that even I could barely understand, let alone my Dad!
She was very understanding, and at the end of the test she revealed his score was actually 16/17.
She also revealed that their report before flagged the fact that they themselves didn't reconcile his score of 11 as being representative of how he presented himself.
We talked about medication, and she did say that she was happy to re-refer him to the consultant so that I could discuss medication.
However, given Dad's stability at the moment, I have chosen not to pursue that route.
He does have poor short term memory, he doesn't know the date, but that to me, is harmless. My biggest fear is that if we tried medication, and it didn't help his short term memory, that it would then be withdrawn and the withdrawal could cause a deterioration - the CPN actually agreed that this was a possibility, and her advice was that as there is no anxiety, depression or paranoia present, leave the medication alone for now.
I really think that today, I proved to her how language really did have a massive influence on the scores. Something, that they never challenged, despite being confused by their own results
Beverley x