Question Time for Carers... Week 2...Only 1 Question?

[NotTooLate]

Last week I got 15 amazing replies and this gave me a lot to think about!

All were extremely well stated and informative. It was obvious that these were people with a lot of first hand knowledge regarding all things related to dementia.

What did disappoint, a bit, was that there were over 870 people that viewed this post!

This week I’m going to try again, but only with one question.

This will be based on the main findings of last week’s questions.

This Week’s Question:

Did you, or the person you cared for, or are caring for, have some significant event prior to the first signs, or symptoms of dementia being noticed?’

Yes, or No?

If you would like to add the information about the nature of the event, I would be grateful!

Such as:

Stroke
Seizure
Fall
Blow to the head
Accident
loss of a loved one
Illness
Heart Attack
Mental illness
Drugs issue
Drink issue
Depression

or anything else that you think may be related?



Thank you for your time!

Stay Safe and Keep Well!

Richard

 

[canary]

Hi Richard. My mum had Alzheimers. There was no incident of any kind before she developed it - it just snuck up


PS - with regard to the 870 views of your post - most of them will not have been members, so they wouldnt have been able to reply. There are only a few sections of the board that can only be seen by members and the rest is open, meaning that anyone can view the posts. Only members can reply, though. I have just looked and there are 424 people viewing the forums at the moment, but only 21 of them are members.

 

[Bikerbeth]

For my Mum - No significant incidents that I am aware of

 

[NotTooLate]

Hi @canary

This is a quick reply!

Crumbs! This wasn't the word I used first, but it blanked it out!

I'm not moaning at you, I've just realised what this means. I thought people the reluctace to reply was a reflection on my questions, but they may not have been able to reply, even if they wanted to!?

Any ideas how I can get this out to more people? It does say 64.937 memebers!

Thanks for your time, much appreciated!

Stay Safe and Keep Well!
Richard

 

[NotTooLate]

For my Mum - No significant incidents that I am aware of

?

 

[Countryboy]

I would be interesting to know the number of members with DEMENTIA that are active participant’s on Talking Point the only way you will know what it like to be diagnosed with dementia is to have Dementia

 

[canary]

I'm not moaning at you, I've just realised what this means.

No worries, I didnt think you were moaning at me. I was just explaining why you havent had as many replies as you thought you might. Do also remember that the membership is of people who have joined from the beginning. Lots of them will be carers of people who have died, or may be people with dementia who have died themselves, or some other reason why they no longer come on these boards.

 

[silkiest]

My mum in law has deteriorated slowly over 12 years, progressing from a diagnosis of cognitive impairment 10 years ago to Alzheimer's 4 years ago with no precipitating factors, the only major health problem she has developed after her diagnosis.
I noticed that my mum had language difficulties over a year ago - no precipitating factors but generally frail with rapid deterioration in the last 6 months along with several infections and falls .

 

[Thethirdmrsc]

Hi Richard, my husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s almost 3 years ago, and he has no other health issues, and there was no warning, apart from the memory loss obvs.

 

[millalm]

My Mum was experiencing mild memory issues, forgetting to drink fluids, sometimes forgetting to eat but still able to live alone and walk to the grocery store. On one of her walks she had a fall and hit her head. The scans said there were no issues but 2 days later she no longer knew how to shower, what the shampoo was for, or how to find her way to the bathroom in a one story house she had lived in for 17 years. I believe the fall fast forwarded her spiral into dementia.

 

[Sarasa]

Hi @NotTooLate , that is an interesting question. Both my mother and my mother in law have dementia. Not definitive diagnosis in ether case, but I think they both have vascular dementia, with maybe Alzheimer's having developed later.
My mother is 92 and, apart from very mild raised blood pressure (so mild that when she got in a muddle with her tablets her GP didn't think it was worth carrying on with them) no obvious health issues. Her mother died of a stroke in he 80s and I think my mother may have had several small strokes that weren't properly picked up. I really noticed a decline in mum four years ago when she had a nasty infection. She was very confused at the time, and though she recovered she didn't recover to the level she was before and then started to decline more noticeably after that.
My mother in law is also 92 and has mobility problems. About six or seven years ago she started to have frequent falls. During some of those she bashed her head. Each one seemed to make her more confused and less able. After a particularly bad one she has been very careful and for a long while she didn't appear to decline, and in some ways improved. However during the last few months she seems to have declined further.

 

[Woo2]

Hi

can only say mum had depression and I believe was on anti depressants but that was some 30 odd years ago and wasn’t on them long I don’t think .

 

[kindred]

Last week I got 15 amazing replies and this gave me a lot to think about!

All were extremely well stated and informative. It was obvious that these were people with a lot of first hand knowledge regarding all things related to dementia.

What did disappoint, a bit, was that there were over 870 people that viewed this post!

This week I’m going to try again, but only with one question.

This will be based on the main findings of last week’s questions.

This Week’s Question:

Did you, or the person you cared for, or are caring for, have some significant event prior to the first signs, or symptoms of dementia being noticed?’ Such as:

Stroke
Seizure
Fall
Blow to the head
Accident
loss of a loved one
Illness
Heart Attack
Mental illness
Drugs issue
Drink issue
Depression

or anything else that you think may be related?

Yes, or No?

If you would like to add the information about the nature of the event, I would be grateful!

Thank you for your time!

Stay Safe and Keep Well!

Richard

Thank you, Richard. None of these things, The diagnosis came out of the blue when he had a brain scan following a fall and hitting his head.
Warmest, Kindred

 

[NotTooLate]

I would be interesting to know the number of members with DEMENTIA that are active participant’s on Talking Point the only way you will know what it like to be diagnosed with dementia is to have Dementia

Hi @Countryboy
If you find out, please let me know... I've been trying sometime now and found 4? So your help would be gratefully recieved!
That is why I'm on this Forum: I Have Dementia!?

 

[Linton]

Hi Richard.. Forgot to say a prior incident before any symptoms.. He woke one morning with loss of sight.. Lasted for a while then returned.. After doctors and eye specialist were seen no problems found so unexplained.. Don't know if relevant or not... Good luck x

 

[Countryboy]

Hi @Countryboy
If you find out, please let me know... I've been trying sometime now and found 4? So your help would be gratefully recieved!
That is why I'm on this Forum: I Have Dementia!?

Hi Linton I very much doubt you will ever know the answer, like you I have Dementia and joined Talking Point in March 2005 back then data protection wasn’t so problematic so I exchange email address with a few during my 15 year membership I only know of about 5 or 6 member with a diagnoses though one in particular was my old friend Barry Pankhurst from Indonesia know as Barry the bread because he wrote books on baking and about his own experience of having dementia Barry sadly passed away around 2015-16

Keep Safe from virus

 

[Agzy]

She fell on several occasions including in a shop where she hit her chin on a step with extensive bruising and in he bath striking her head on the taps. Subsequent scans showed no brain or othe long term damage

 

[Lizbuff]

Hi! I care for my mum, who was diagnosed about 2 years ago. There was no one event, just a gradual realisation that she was getting muddled or forgetting words. She was initially diagnosed with MCI but the deterioration continued so I insisted on being re-referred to the memory clinic where they diagnosed 'dementia of some sort, probably Alzheimer's'. My aunt & my mum's boss were also concerned about her - can't really describe it, but when you live with someone, you know that the changes you're seeing are more than generally getting a bit older (she's 78). As an only child, with no family nearby & no family of my own, it can be a little lonely. However, we laugh still - a lot - & I'm learning to cope with the mood swings!! Good luck to you with all your research x

 

[Mousehill]

No significant event: mum's symptoms crept up and were masked by her MD diagnosis.

The thing that eventually lead to a diagnosis, around 8-9 years after the first signs, was a need for something 'on paper' after I was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease and in case I had spells where I was unable to look after mum and she had to go into respite care.

I do feel that people who choose to make compromises and pull put all the stops to look after relatives with dementia are often left high and dry by social services and I found out that when it comes to some care agencies, the fact that I only wanted 4 x 1 hour shifts a week made mum and I 'not a priority' i.e. not a lucrative prospect.

 

[NotTooLate]

Hi

can only say mum had depression and I believe was on anti depressants but that was some 30 odd years ago and wasn’t on them long I don’t think .

Just a quick question: She wasn't depressed before the signs and symptoms started to be noticed?