Re: Alzheimer's disease

Twoaces · ‎05-02-2011

Hello @Lilysmom1 A very important word to know related to Alzheimer's diisease is anosognosia. It refers to the Inabilty to recognize one's own disease. This is very different from denial. The person truly doesn't have the capacity to understand that they have the disease, and cannot be reasoned into that knowledge. Not everyone with Alzheimer's, especially at the early stages, will have it, but it is very common.
it took me a week to be able to remember that mouthful! But knowing that anosognosia affects my husband helps me understand that I need to climb into his world with my reactions to his actions and thoughts.
best wishes to you as you deal with your dear sister.

RedTop · ‎09-01-2010

@christikate

I too, had to specifically request testing on my mother when the noticeable issues became more frequent. It took Mom 20 minutes to draw a clock but she didn't get the time correct. However, she was quite proud of herself because she thought she did great! She never remembered the 3 items she was supposed to remember either.

I am convinced Medicare wellness exams can help identify patients with cognitive disorders before the person reaches a critical point. I want to get in and out of the Drs office ASAP, so I'm not thrilled about the extra time for the wellness exam, but it's once a year, and I just do it and go on.

My former boss used to go on and on about her dad and MIL still driving at 90+. She thought it was just wonderful that they were so active and doing for themselves. I agree that it's wonderful for anyone over 90 to be active and doing for themselves, but I knew my boss was not keeping up with her dad or MIL to know whether they were actually managing well and driving safely. Just because a 90 year old is still driving does not mean they are a safe driver, or should be driving. I finally suggested she examine his truck, which is when she realized he needed to stop driving. I followed my mother home for 6 miles; she drove her small SUV perfectly, but never saw me behind her. Mom was in her own little world and totally oblivious to anyone around her, and that is when she agreed to stop driving at 80.

christikate · ‎01-12-2013

Same! Dad could not remember the 3 words, he could not count backwards from 10, could not recall the current president's name etc. We lost probably 3 years at the beginning of his decline in which he could have participated in clinical trials or started meds that slow the disease IF his primary care physician had been pro-active. I really had to take over, ask the hard questions, switch his doctors, and take him to get the tests done. I feel so bad for the ones who don't have someone on top of everything advocating for them!

CelticCrafter · ‎03-09-2010

@RedTop wrote:
@christikate
I too, had to specifically request testing on my mother when the noticeable issues became more frequent. It took Mom 20 minutes to draw a clock but she didn't get the time correct. However, she was quite proud of herself because she thought she did great! She never remembered the 3 items she was supposed to remember either.

I am convinced Medicare wellness exams can help identify patients with cognitive disorders before the person reaches a critical point. I want to get in and out of the Drs office ASAP, so I'm not thrilled about the extra time for the wellness exam, but it's once a year, and I just do it and go on.

My former boss used to go on and on about her dad and MIL still driving at 90+. She thought it was just wonderful that they were so active and doing for themselves. I agree that it's wonderful for anyone over 90 to be active and doing for themselves, but I knew my boss was not keeping up with her dad or MIL to know whether they were actually managing well and driving safely. Just because a 90 year old is still driving does not mean they are a safe driver, or should be driving. I finally suggested she examine his truck, which is when she realized he needed to stop driving. I followed my mother home for 6 miles; she drove her small SUV perfectly, but never saw me behind her. Mom was in her own little world and totally oblivious to anyone around her, and that is when she agreed to stop driving at 80.

@RedTop I think those Medicare Wellness cognitive tests could give false results. Just the other day both myself and husband decided that neither one of us could "pass" it. Neither one of us have cognitive issues. I don't have the attention span and it's something that wouldn't be important enough to me to have to remember.