what is going on?

[zippyh]

Hello eveybody,
i have been a member for about 3 years now. so i suppose mum has been suffering from " arteriosclerotic dementia" i think they call it for about 5 or 6 years now. what is getting to me is my sister, who lives in the same town as mum and dad, and i are only just on speaking terms. we speak about every 4 or 5 months. the reason for this is i keep getting told i should do more to help, but eve3rytime i try to suggest something, it gets poopooed and ignored, so i keep out of the way months go by then we start talking again and so it goes on.
things between me and my parents are little better, i visit occaisionally(they live ninety odd miles away, i work shifts and am knackered on my days off.
what i would like to find out is what is this type of dementia like, how can it be managed and what is the usuall lifespan off sufferers( excuse the spelling, lousy speller and even worse typist lol). all i get from my dad and sister is that mum is loosing her memory and there is nothing we can do.
sorry for the long ramble, but that is it, thanks for reading this far
zippyh

 

[Onlyme]

Hi

From what I can tell from using google that means that your Mum has what I know as vascular dementia. As you will have discovered this is usually a result of stroke damage or mini-strokes, heart disease etc rather than Alzheimers. At the moment medication is only given to those that have AD or a mixure of AD and Vascular dementia. Vascular dementia sufferers seem to go down in big steps then will stay the same for a while before another step.

What kind of behaviour is your Mum showing?

I forgot to say that my Mum has a mixture of the two but shows a lot of agression.

 

[Saffie]

My husband was told he had VD but Psychiatrist said probably some AD there as well. I don't know if that was so that he could prescribe Aricept just in case. He said there was no point in having a brain scan as husband has had diabetes since his 30's and Peripheral Artery disease for nearly 30 years. Psych. said he had quite often seen VD in long term diabetics. My husband has never had any sign of a stroke or TIA so don't think the plateaus and steps applies to him.

 

[BeckyJan]

Hello.

I am glad you felt able to return to us. I am sorry to hear about the relationship with your Sister and hope time will heal this.

When families are deep into caring it is hard when others do not give support. If you really want to help why not suggest a weekend for your Dad and Sister to have time to themselves whilst you deal with your Mum. Yes it is tiring but on reflection you may feel glad to have done it. During that weekend you could enjoy your Mum's company however difficult that may be. Maybe do some washing, ironing and domestic jobs. I am sure this would make you closer to your Sister and that is important.

Take the opportunity whilst you can.

Here is a factsheet on Vascular Dementia which may help you understand:
http://alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=161

 

[Saffie]

Thanks Jan - I also found that link interesting - especially the part about VD patients having visual misconceptions. I told the mental health nurse in the General hospital that he was misinterpreting what he was seeing rather than imagining things but she insisted he was suffering from paranoia and put him on Rispiridone - much to my dismay.

 

[DLM]

VaD

http://www.alzheimersweekly.com/Weekly_Videos/advanced-class-on-vascular-dementia-a820.html

 

[DLM]

http://www.alzheimersweekly.com/Weekly_Videos/advanced-class-on-vascular-dementia-a820.html

Alzheimer's disease and dementia, there is a distinct difference, other dementias: Vascular dementia, Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy Bodies and Frontotemporal dementia. Some causes of dementia are treatable and even reversible.
~ source: Mayo Clinic http://tinyurl.com/qdgj9g Carers need to know correct diagnosis.

 

[zippyh]

whats going on?

thanks for all the support, and i'm working through the information and appreciate the replies , thanks everyone