Hi everyone,
I had considered joining Talking Point last year, however I felt uncomfortable sharing my experience about Mums memory without a diagnosis. Getting to a diagnosis has been a struggle for my siblings, Dad, Mum and I.
I was 19 when our family started to notice changes to Mums memory, and I am now 26. The events leading up to a diagnosis has had a big impact on my mental health, and I don't know how to get help to cope with my emotions. I am currently doing a second round of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, however the therapist told me that he cannot assist me with coping with Mums memory.
The details below are lengthy (apologies in advance).
We began to notice changes in Mums personality after she experienced a couple of years of unemployment. We noticed that she would ask the same questions regularly, she would sit alone to colour/do crossword puzzles a lot, and financial issues arose which she refused to talk about until it got serious.
My sisters and I voiced our concerns to our Dad repeatedly and he kept reassuring us that we had nothing to worry about, and that Mum believed menopause/an incorrect prescription dose had caused the memory decline up to that point. As time went on, Dad began to ask us not to speak to Mum about our concerns and to be patient with her when she repeated herself.
In 2018, Dad spoke to Mum for the first time directly about her memory decline, and that she should see a doctor. Mum could not admit to herself or to Dad that there was anything wrong with her memory. So, my sisters and I kept nagging Dad to reason with Mum again or could we try voicing our concerns to her as well. Dad chose to share our feelings with Mum, rather than letting us do so.
Mum and Dad finally went to the doctors last February to discuss her memory decline, and then the first lockdown happened. Further testing was put on hold until the start of November. I received the news today that Mum has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers.
Thank you for reading all of this, I really appreciate it. Please let me know if you have any advice on coping strategies during this time.
I had considered joining Talking Point last year, however I felt uncomfortable sharing my experience about Mums memory without a diagnosis. Getting to a diagnosis has been a struggle for my siblings, Dad, Mum and I.
I was 19 when our family started to notice changes to Mums memory, and I am now 26. The events leading up to a diagnosis has had a big impact on my mental health, and I don't know how to get help to cope with my emotions. I am currently doing a second round of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, however the therapist told me that he cannot assist me with coping with Mums memory.
The details below are lengthy (apologies in advance).
We began to notice changes in Mums personality after she experienced a couple of years of unemployment. We noticed that she would ask the same questions regularly, she would sit alone to colour/do crossword puzzles a lot, and financial issues arose which she refused to talk about until it got serious.
My sisters and I voiced our concerns to our Dad repeatedly and he kept reassuring us that we had nothing to worry about, and that Mum believed menopause/an incorrect prescription dose had caused the memory decline up to that point. As time went on, Dad began to ask us not to speak to Mum about our concerns and to be patient with her when she repeated herself.
In 2018, Dad spoke to Mum for the first time directly about her memory decline, and that she should see a doctor. Mum could not admit to herself or to Dad that there was anything wrong with her memory. So, my sisters and I kept nagging Dad to reason with Mum again or could we try voicing our concerns to her as well. Dad chose to share our feelings with Mum, rather than letting us do so.
Mum and Dad finally went to the doctors last February to discuss her memory decline, and then the first lockdown happened. Further testing was put on hold until the start of November. I received the news today that Mum has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers.
Thank you for reading all of this, I really appreciate it. Please let me know if you have any advice on coping strategies during this time.