Hi all, my sister (58) has been diagnosed with young onset alzheimers and although we were expecting it, we are all still in shock. My sister said she is relieved to have a diagnosis after 2 years of being told that she suffers from anxiety. Her memory speech and writing skills are already affected which means she has had to give up her job and has been told she can no longer drive. We are both afraid that this is progressing much faster than anticipated. Has anyone else experienced these symptoms at the beginning of their journey, or are they usually much further on?
Newly diagnosed
- Thread starter Cathmay
- Start date
Hello @Cathmay and welcome to the forum. I am sorry to hear of your sister's diagnosis.
My late husband was also diagnosed at 58 - and also found it a relief to finally have an answer as to what was happening to him - especially as he'd been out of work for a couple of years, unable to perform well in interviews and losing confidence. His ability to express himself or write coherent sentence were among the first skills to deteriorate.
I was told by the memory consultant that symptoms do progress more quickly in people with young onset dementia. Everyone is different though and there is no set pattern - but in our situation the quick progress did happen.
As soon as the diagnosis came we did the practical stuff like getting our Wills and Powers of Attorney sorted - and from then on we just took each day as it came, concentrating on what could be done, adapting ways of doing things - and gradually letting go of what was no longer possible.
It was a stressful experience at times, as is the case for many with a diagnosis, regardless of type or age - but we had many happy experiences along the way too - and for the most part we lived well with the disease.
Do keep posting, we are here to help and support one another. You are among people who understand.
Edited just to add that this link to information on young onset dementia might also be of some help -
www.alzheimers.org.uk
My late husband was also diagnosed at 58 - and also found it a relief to finally have an answer as to what was happening to him - especially as he'd been out of work for a couple of years, unable to perform well in interviews and losing confidence. His ability to express himself or write coherent sentence were among the first skills to deteriorate.
I was told by the memory consultant that symptoms do progress more quickly in people with young onset dementia. Everyone is different though and there is no set pattern - but in our situation the quick progress did happen.
As soon as the diagnosis came we did the practical stuff like getting our Wills and Powers of Attorney sorted - and from then on we just took each day as it came, concentrating on what could be done, adapting ways of doing things - and gradually letting go of what was no longer possible.
It was a stressful experience at times, as is the case for many with a diagnosis, regardless of type or age - but we had many happy experiences along the way too - and for the most part we lived well with the disease.
Do keep posting, we are here to help and support one another. You are among people who understand.
Edited just to add that this link to information on young onset dementia might also be of some help -
Young-onset dementia
Find out what young-onset dementia is, including the causes and symptoms, and how it is diagnosed and treated.
www.alzheimers.org.uk
My wife was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s when she was 58. She had to stop driving, her writing skills, memory and reading skills were the first to be affected but it wasn’t until 63 that things have suddenly become so much worse. Now, as her sole carer, I only understand 5-10% of what she says, which is very distressing for both of us. This is a horrible disease, no doubt about it.
