Mum has started to show signs of dementia

[Roid]

My mum has been forgetting the small things over the last year or so and we really didn't think too much of it. She's 70 but a young 70.

Dad has always been the one with health problems, so when mum started showing signs of dementia, we were not expecting it at all.

Over the last 6 weeks things have gotten worse, to the point where she believes my dad is someone else - for periods of time - and leaves the house and locks him in. She's been to the neighbours asking for help as the person in the house won't let her see my dad, even though it is my dad.

We initially thought it was to do with some tablets she was on, we stopped them, then it happened twice in one weekend. The doctor prescribed folic acid as her phosphate levels were low, it happened again.

How do you deal with it when she 100% believes my dad to be someone else and even now if you ask her, she still believes it?

 

[Sarasa]

A warm welcome to Dementia Support Forum @Roid. This is a very friedly and supportive place and I'm glad you've found us.

I think you need to take your mum back to the GP to get things checked out in more details. Send him a bullet pointed list before hand so he can see what the problem is. It is worth asking to have your mum checked out for Urinary tract or other infections. They don't always show up in older people in the ways you'd expect.

As for not believing its your dad I don't know if this thread will help you come up with some distraction techniques, Compassionate Communication with the Memory Impaired. Your mum might have slipped back in time and doesn't recognise your dad as she is looking for a younger man. My mum thought my brother was my dad and my son was my brother. I could understand the first as my brother is so like my late dad. My son however looks nothing like either of them! We gave up trying to explain and just ran with it in the end. In your case that is more tricky, but I'm sure other people will be along with some suggestions very soon.