Alzheimers

[missprim]

Is it possible to know if someone has Alzheimers without being a doctor?
I noticed quite sometime ago that one of my elderley neighbours was having trouble remembering things, but then again so do a lot of people, myself included.
Just before Christmas she told me her family think she has Alzheimers and they want her to see a doctor.
Is there a way of being able to see the difference between someone like myself who quite often turns up on the wrong day for appointments, another neighbour who got on the wrong bus, and other people of my age who can't remember their telephone number, (me!) and those who are in the early stages od Dementia or Alzheimers?

[Sir Alec]

When my Dad first became forgetful, the doctor sent him for an MRI scan which revealed that he didn't have Alzheimers, but had had a series of tiny strokes. The strokes wiped his short term memory. He has more bad days than good and it's very frustrating looking after him at times, but you cope!

[treetops1]

This seems a good site for symptoms, my sister in law first showed signs at 56yrs.
http://helpguide.org/...e_symptoms_stages.htm

[DTCwordfan]

Sir Alec -tiny strokes can lead to vascular dementia - my mother has both Alzheimers and vascular as a result of one she had three years ago. The CT and MRI showed both of them up.

Forgetting is one thing, the second is in action - for example, as it takes grip a common "feature" is that they often flay out accusing family or friends of taking things that they can not find, like money and jewellery.

Missprim, if you know her family, I would strongly encourage them to get any powers of attorney and wills etc sorted out know while she/he still has reasonable faculties.....it is a legal nightmare when it is too late.

[DTCwordfan]

Oh, and coordination issues like doing and undoing buttons and using keys (or tying ties and ribbons) can be a good physical indicator of the diseases - by the way there are eight forms of dementia,of which Alzheimers is but one.

[DTCwordfan]

alzheimers.org.uk/
http://alzheimers.org...fo.php?documentID=161
http://www.alz.org/al...ges_of_alzheimers.asp

[missprim]

I didn't know there were different types of dementia DT and I have heard of people with Alzheimers who can lash out and not recognise who you are etc but I always thought that that was when the disease was well advanced.My neighbour has told me of some of the things she does and to be quite honest , it doesn't sound that much worse than the things I do sometimes but my family have never said to me that they think I have this.
Her family have taken her car keys off her and told her she isn't allowed to drive her car and she is going 'stir crazy' if you'll pardon the pun. It almost seems as though they are trying to persuade her she has this.

[woofgang]

If the family have removed the car keys without her consent, that is theft and could also be abuse. I think that she should see the doctor as she and her family will then have an honest objective opinion about the lady's condition and what is and is not safe for her to do. Keep in mind though that you only know what she is telling you. My late beloved mother had a couple of little "adventures" that she only told me about. She was fine at that stage for 99% of the time and I never told anyone else about it and never will but if she had been driving then I would have had a different conversation with her. Happily for her, her heart failed before her cognitive state.

[missprim]

Thanks for your answers and links. I decided to call on my neighbour this evening and she told me the DVLA have taken her licence but she doesn't know who told them about her condition.
She does seem very confused at times but I have offered to help her as much as I can and she thanked me for calling and said she would like me to go round again sometime.
I will now read the links that treetops and DT have sent and learn as much as I can about it.

[DTCwordfan]

and get her to a doctor,

the family are probably wrong - my mother is at stage 3/stage 4 as the stages do "fuse" together.....however, driving is a long term skill and the consultant down here encourages them to drive as long as possible therefore....

You may notice that she is addled over short term things, numbers, faces (well names actually) etc - but then they can still have phenomenal long term memory. My mother still can quote tracts of verse, songs and hymns....

[missprim]

I found a blt of our conversation quite strange tonight as she told me her granddaughter was married and she was there at the wedding in Turkey 12/18 months ago.
When I said she had never told me this before, she phoned her daughter to check.She dialled her daughter's number without any problem but her daughter said 'No her granddaughter is not married and she's no idea who got married in Turkey.'
DT can you remember how you knew your Mum had this awful condition?

[pinkgin]

As someone has already pointed out there is a wealth of information and support here
http://forum.alzheimers.org.uk/forum.php

[NoMercy]

It could be a simple case of mild cognitive impairment.

Has her speech become repetitive? Is her speech normal in rate, volume and flow?