I'm wondering about how quick the diagnosis of dementia for people has been.Ill try to cut a long story short!at Christmas my active 81 year old auntie was taken into hospital after becoming I'll at home from sudden weakness of her legs,she then spent weeks in hospital undergoing lots of tests and scans,the only conclusion they could come up with was that a virus had made her very weak,at one point she was very weak and confused,the doctor discussed wether she had dementia and what was her normal behaviour etc and previous health issues,5 years ago she had 2 minor strokes,but was still active,so after looking at brain scans concluded her confusion was down to her state of health at the moment,she left hospital and went into respite and has made slow but steady progress, mentally she is fine,even her social worker and occupational therapist agreed she had full mental capacity and are happy for her to come and live with me.Unbeknown to me whilst in the care home she was visited by a memory nurse who spoke to my aunt alone several weeks ago.The outcome of this is I received a telephone call yesterday telling me my Aunt has dementia and I should tell her straight away! apparently she asked a doctor at the hospital to relook at brain scans.I am shocked at how quick they have come to this conclusion with out involving anyone else and talking about Aunties usual behaviour etc,auntie has moved 4 times in the past 3 years and the nurse was concerned she couldn't remember certain details about these properties!,I'm not suprised as 2 she lived in for under a year! even her social worker was shocked at the diagnosishe would I be within my rights to ask for a second opinion?I have no issue with a dementia diagnosis I just feel uncomfortable at how this has been decided!sorry for the long ramble!!!
Quick diagnosis
- Thread starter Catcrazy
- Start date
Hello @Catcrazy, you are welcome here.
A diagnosis can often take many months or even a couple of years when it starts off with concerns being brought to the attention of a GP. However, it seems commonplace for people in a crisis to be admitted to hospital and get a quick diagnosis there as that's often mentioned here.
I'm sure others with experience of this will be along to advise
A diagnosis can often take many months or even a couple of years when it starts off with concerns being brought to the attention of a GP. However, it seems commonplace for people in a crisis to be admitted to hospital and get a quick diagnosis there as that's often mentioned here.
I'm sure others with experience of this will be along to advise
On an additional note @Catcrazy, I hope you have time to take a good look around the site as it is a goldmine for information. When I first joined I read old threads for information but then found the AS Publications list and the page where a post code search can be done to check for support services in ones own area. If you are interested in these, clicking the following links will take you there
https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/get-support/publications-factsheets-full-list
https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/find-support-near-you
You will see that there are Factsheets that will help with things like getting care needs assessments, deciding the level of care required and sorting out useful things like Wills, Power of Attorney etc., if any of that hasn't already been done.
Now that you have found us I hope you will keep posting as the membership has vast collective knowledge and experience.
https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/get-support/publications-factsheets-full-list
https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/find-support-near-you
You will see that there are Factsheets that will help with things like getting care needs assessments, deciding the level of care required and sorting out useful things like Wills, Power of Attorney etc., if any of that hasn't already been done.
Now that you have found us I hope you will keep posting as the membership has vast collective knowledge and experience.
Who did you receive the phone call from? They shouldn't be telling you to tell your Aunt 'straight away'. Depending on the individual circumstances it can sometimes be better not to inform someone of a diagnosis - has there been any formal letter from the memory nurse/consultant to confirm the diagnosis? There are various different types of dementia, some of which can be helped by specific medication. Did they specify which type of dementia your Aunt has and if further action is going to be taken with regards medication?
Do you have power of attorney for your Aunt or are there any other relatives who are next of kin and might be able to provide you with more info? I'd certainly be trying to get more information as providing a diagnosis over the phone with no further information is not best practice.
I Have power of attorney for my Aunt as she raised me,we have no other close relatives.I was told she has vascular dementia,I have asked for a letter to be sent to me confirming the diagnosis,I was informed by a memory nurse.My auntie has had 4 months of ill health, upheaval and change so I feel it would not be surprising that she would be suffering from some slight confusion,the fact she has gone from being in hospital where for 2 weeks she was mostly sleeping and unable to move or hold any conversation to now sitting up chatting coherently from what's she's had for breakfast to what's on the news a huge step.I did say that perhaps it would have been more wise to allow her time to settle back into a familiar setting and have some stability before making such a quick decision to tell her, especially as this all happened without mine or her GP'S knowledge!
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I would wait for the letter, and I certainly wouldn't rush to tell her - what would that achieve other than to upset her?
I don't know if the process is always the same (probably not) but when my mother visited the memory clinic, the doctor sent her a detailed resume of what happened at their meeting - what they talked about, what her concerns were, and how she scored on the tests. (He incorrectly concluded she didn't have dementia - so much for his diagnostic capabilities.)
You know her best, you're caring for her, and if you think she's getting on fine there is no reason to do anything. If in future you would like confirmation you could ask for the memory tests to be repeated (the CPN will visit at home if necessary).
I don't know if the process is always the same (probably not) but when my mother visited the memory clinic, the doctor sent her a detailed resume of what happened at their meeting - what they talked about, what her concerns were, and how she scored on the tests. (He incorrectly concluded she didn't have dementia - so much for his diagnostic capabilities.)
You know her best, you're caring for her, and if you think she's getting on fine there is no reason to do anything. If in future you would like confirmation you could ask for the memory tests to be repeated (the CPN will visit at home if necessary).
