As a caregiver for 5 years, I have found that to very true. I rely mostly on my own research for answers. Sadly, I have found most doctors are not interested in giving detailed information on this subject.
my dear husband, for many months was in fear of 60, 40, 16 individuals trying to kill or harm him....including the police. Spies and agents are ever present...he was reading and hearing things that are not real...I tried to calm him and comfort him...he was admitted to emergency for his behavior became worse...finally diagnosed with dementia/alzheimer...another symptom, he displays are not understanding basic suggestions...going to the bathroom, he needs help...cutting up his food, sleeping a lot, numbers he says, makes no sense, lost often (one business trip, he was on the train for 11 hours...I knew, because I kept calling him and finally was able to convince him to get off at a city and seek help (cab, police or ambulance) to get him back to his hotel...in a way, i am grateful, I finally know, what he has ...but feel guilty, I tried to reason with him but he couldn't see logic or common sense...he was and is in denial, he is even sick...but I am more understanding and distract him to other things not to get him agitated because he can become violent...I HATE this disease!!!
It is Lewis Body dementia that is associated with hallucinations, not alzheimers. Often misdiagnosed. Important though because certain meds used for Alzheimers can be super bad for Lewis Body....could also have a mix of both :(
I know someone that soon will be 94, and still fighting a lot of different things, and this is one of them. Not sure what stage he is in, but can not take care of himself. Has Parkinson's, dementia, heart disease, etc. Has had pneumonia in both lungs, and still going strong. Has a hard time walking, has a walker, but tries his best to move around the house on his own. Very slowly and holds on to wall or furniture. Don't want to be in a wheelchair, so I hope when that time comes, it won't be hard to get him in the chair. God bless all the caregivers out there. It is much harder to take care of people, than some people think.
TH-cam “ Caregiving 7 stages” and watch videos by TonI Wornbaker”. She did a wonderful video and explanation of her moms illness thru the death. I found it so helpful and comforting when mother n law was in last 3 stages of alheimers
Thank you for sharing more information for me. My daughter has alzheimer's/cerebral palsy/Epilepsy she's 32 years old. And she's hitting getting into the latter stage. This video is very helpful ❤
After her massive stroke, my wife’s recovery was soon stopped by the onset of Vascular Dementia which seemed to slot into the middle of the conventional staging of dementia. She needs help as her right side is disabled so it’s been full care for me at the onset of the Covid pandemic. She got worse 4 months ago; not eating and the good leg for standing turned weak for normal transfer from bed to chair to toilet. The doctor authorized Hospice Care at home assuming that without food her decline was conventional. I used syringe for nutritional drink And powdered medication. This revived her . Four months later and Hospice service cancelled my wife can consume some solids but the drinks (Ensure and Boost) keep her fed and hydrated. As her caregiver, married for 55 years, I only reflection for others like me is to stay well, take care of your health and sort out the paperwork and finance.
I hope it is not too late to ask a question. Perhaps this question can be discussed in a future video. What about the patient who began with a very high IQ, see in the 140s? At the time of testing in the Neurology Office, they can name 2 things after five minutes. .. they can count down by 7s from 100 (because they know the trick of subtract 10 and add 3) SO, they score in the average range - no concerns according to the neurologist. However, the more sophisticated testing, which takes anywhere from three hours to 1-1/2 days reveals memory and problem-solving issues. I have read that the tests are to be calibrated based on the patient’s beginning IQ prior to any memory issues. In that way, if an originally high IQ now tests at average, and below average, there are cognitive issues that should be addressed and should have intervention. I have also read that recent studies support this. Why is it then that some neurologists will not consider that a loss of 3 to 4 levels of cognition (in the case where a person starts with a high IQ) as more than MCI? A persons functioning at average, or just below average, may still have sufficient social skills that mask their true impairment.
same issue here - phd in math - can still count but SOO much less faster/accurate than before, and thousand times lower multitasking, concentration, higher level cognition... all neurologists gaslight me... but i'm not ok
My Mom has a degree of dementia, however she also has not great sight AND she is basically deaf .. VERY hard of hearing - she has never had & won’t consider hearing aids .. Makes it a bit more challenging to know if she’s just not hearing or understanding what I say, not comprehending .. so not sure how much is dementia, loss of hearing etc .. she’s 90 & we work with it. My Mom hasn’t been able to pass a MOCHA test for. Long time… she STILL lives in Indy seniors res. residence doing her own thing
Thank you for having The clearest interview giving me the clearest view Alzheimer’s that I have ever seen and an understanding of the stages. Also that I should ask our doctor specific questions about what stage our loved one is in..
My parents both to accept anything at age 87( must hear the same information until they accept it/ is it denial( very much for mother), Mom is the brain Dad is the movement. At 87: it’s mixed things to learn? Energy? Have both seen them tire of caring for each other?( energy, ability, organizing?) Keep a journal on Dad n Mom both now.( in notes): so going to appts I have a spreadsheet so to speak to communicate.
An elderly friend has dementia. He can speak about Business and he recognizes friends but he no longer recognizes his sister ! How is that possible? His sister is very upset and confused about this situation.
Thank you. My husband says his head hurts all the time..pressure..never mentioned it before..talks about he has full blown alz now..like in 10 years he's come to that conclusion!
I live in an area with high number of seniors & senior residences.. independent /ass’t living, long term care and memory care .. some residences cater to just one (my Mom is 90 & has been in an Indy/ass’t residence for 3 yrs., with no assistance (I help with her weekly baths & washing hair every few weeks). My Mom has dementia (I follow Teepa Snow’s Positive Approach to Care - check out her website, videos etc .. INVALUABLE. She has perfected - in conjunction with Alzheimer’s Society etc. Her GEMS system for levels, she is on this program occasionally) My Mom is still able to live on her own, she remembers/forgets, but still ok ..it can change at any time. If her dementia gets bad enough, I would get her in memory care. Nursing homes are caring for disabled seniors that need 24/7 care, a nursing home/LTC facility isn’t like memory care - at specific memory care residents, the staff are later focused on the needs of dementia, the different types of dementia (Lewy Body, Frontal Lobe, Alzheimer’s & TONS more ) the symptoms of each type of dementia are different. The patient/person is generally treated better because the staff are specialized in the nuances of dementia, they have compassion for the people & they GET how to work best with dementia patients … nursing home staff - not as much. Truth be told, LTC residences (what you might call a nursing home .. we don’t use that term anymore ) really don’t want people with full blown dementia .. if the behaviour is disruptive to the other residents/staff, they will be required to go to memory care.
My grandma is 91 and she lives in a home my dad has built her on his property and I come to care for anything that she needs. We do this because we feel this will give her a better life and live longer than anyone in a home… there’s people who need that bed and that person will be out of that facility as quickly as they got there and then on to the next person!
Dementia stages (inc. Teepa Snow’s GEMstates) are very FLUID … I find my Mom can change day to day, hr. To hr. .. remember, forfeit.. back & forth .. depends on what the person themselves is like (personality/life experiences) going IN TO dementia. My Mom NEEDS huge routine, familiarity etc. She is high anxiety, but she was this way ALWAYS .. so I take that in to consideration. High anxiety times mean she will forget more etc ..
How do you tell adult children that thier parent has signs of dementia? I see it so do others but they dont appear to acknowledge it.The person isnt receiving any medical care for it so frustrating and heartbreaking.I worry about them constantly.I am disabled so I am limited to the amount of care I am able to give.
This was very helpful.As far as I can tell by his level of confusion around his trailer and getting lost just walking his dog around our property,and starting to have hallucinations, vivid memories of his life on a ranch as a 13 yr old , 70+ yrs ago, I believe he’s late into stage 4. It is necessary for us caregivers of our parents to be able to have some idea of the stage because I am now his power of attorney and we only have a certain amount of money he set aside for long term care. So I am trying to keep him home until it gets to the point that I can no longer do it so his finances don’t run out too soon.😏
I love your discussion. Can you help me with this question? My mom was 90 and had a stroke in 2017. She was diagnosed a couple months later with mild dementia which progressed and she recently passed away at 95. I’m pretty sure that was late-stage dementia because she no longer was interested in food, had dropped 30 lbs. and had trouble swallowing {which is so hard to see}. Does a stroke CAUSE dementia? Thank you.
Yes, strokes cause a kind of dementia called Vascular dementia. A stroke is a blood clot that blocks a blood vessel in the brain. Parts of the brain that rely on that blood will be damaged or destroyed. While alzheimers is steady and predictable, vascular dementia happens randomly and affects random parts of the brain. For me, the unpredictability is the hardest part. One of my grandmothers had a massive stroke, and lost almost everything at once. My other grandmother had lots of little bitty strokes that would have been unnoticeable without the bizarre behavior changes. I hope this helps 🙂
He was indeed a good guest. However, you consistently asked him to repeat information....making a portion of the interview redundant. That being said...I do appreciate your video.
As we age( if taking a shower is something one has to remember; if someone is in their 80’s( majority grew up w no running water,and an “ out house”) I have realized the hard ship of life at “early life” factors into the OVERALL ACCEPTANCE of what has changed? Thr analog clock 🕰️ is such a basic way to understand this.
No one seems to mention vascular dementia. We need information about that too. They are so reluctant to give results on MRI's and CT Scans.
As a caregiver for 5 years, I have found that to very true. I rely mostly on my own research for answers. Sadly, I have found most doctors are not interested in giving detailed information on this subject.
my dear husband, for many months was in fear of 60, 40, 16 individuals trying to kill or harm him....including the police. Spies and agents are ever present...he was reading and hearing things that are not real...I tried to calm him and comfort him...he was admitted to emergency for his behavior became worse...finally diagnosed with dementia/alzheimer...another symptom, he displays are not understanding basic suggestions...going to the bathroom, he needs help...cutting up his food, sleeping a lot, numbers he says, makes no sense, lost often (one business trip, he was on the train for 11 hours...I knew, because I kept calling him and finally was able to convince him to get off at a city and seek help (cab, police or ambulance) to get him back to his hotel...in a way, i am grateful, I finally know, what he has ...but feel guilty, I tried to reason with him but he couldn't see logic or common sense...he was and is in denial, he is even sick...but I am more understanding and distract him to other things not to get him agitated because he can become violent...I HATE this disease!!!
It is Lewis Body dementia that is associated with hallucinations, not alzheimers. Often misdiagnosed. Important though because certain meds used for Alzheimers can be super bad for Lewis Body....could also have a mix of both :(
I'm going for a dementia review in 2days time I hope my doctor is as compassionate as this lovely gentleman.
I know someone that soon will be 94, and still fighting a lot of different things, and this is one of them. Not sure what stage he is in, but can not take care of himself. Has Parkinson's, dementia, heart disease, etc. Has had pneumonia in both lungs, and still going strong. Has a hard time walking, has a walker, but tries his best to move around the house on his own. Very slowly and holds on to wall or furniture. Don't want to be in a wheelchair, so I hope when that time comes, it won't be hard to get him in the chair. God bless all the caregivers out there. It is much harder to take care of people, than some people think.
TH-cam “
Caregiving 7 stages” and watch videos by TonI Wornbaker”. She did a wonderful video and explanation of her moms illness thru the death. I found it so helpful and comforting when mother n law was in last 3 stages of alheimers
Yes you are absolutely right. I work in a nursing home with dementia patients and i'm absolutely exhausted after my shift is over.
Thank you for sharing more information for me. My daughter has alzheimer's/cerebral palsy/Epilepsy she's 32 years old. And she's hitting getting into the latter stage. This video is very helpful ❤
After her massive stroke, my wife’s recovery was soon stopped by the onset of Vascular Dementia which seemed to slot into the middle of the conventional staging of dementia. She needs help as her right side is disabled so it’s been full care for me at the onset of the Covid pandemic. She got worse 4 months ago; not eating and the good leg for standing turned weak for normal transfer from bed to chair to toilet.
The doctor authorized Hospice Care at home assuming that without food her decline was conventional. I used syringe for nutritional drink
And powdered medication. This revived her . Four months later and Hospice service cancelled my wife can consume some solids but the drinks (Ensure and Boost) keep her fed and hydrated.
As her caregiver, married for 55 years, I only reflection for others like me is to stay well, take care of your health and sort out the paperwork and finance.
Thank you for sharing this conversation. Dr. Tan has been very gracious and information. Thank you.
Thanks team, very informative. Has helped me understand Mum's condition.
A most practical and informative interview for us regular folks. Thank you.
A
A
You are an excellent interviewer!
He was so very easy to follow and understood. Thank you for this
I hope it is not too late to ask a question. Perhaps this question can be discussed in a future video. What about the patient who began with a very high IQ, see in the 140s? At the time of testing in the Neurology Office, they can name 2 things after five minutes. .. they can count down by 7s from 100 (because they know the trick of subtract 10 and add 3) SO, they score in the average range - no concerns according to the neurologist. However, the more sophisticated testing, which takes anywhere from three hours to 1-1/2 days reveals memory and problem-solving issues. I have read that the tests are to be calibrated based on the patient’s beginning IQ prior to any memory issues. In that way, if an originally high IQ now tests at average, and below average, there are cognitive issues that should be addressed and should have intervention. I have also read that recent studies support this. Why is it then that some neurologists will not consider that a loss of 3 to 4 levels of cognition (in the case where a person starts with a high IQ) as more than MCI? A persons functioning at average, or just below average, may still have sufficient social skills that mask their true impairment.
same issue here - phd in math - can still count but SOO much less faster/accurate than before, and thousand times lower multitasking, concentration, higher level cognition... all neurologists gaslight me... but i'm not ok
Thank you!
Excellent info! Thank you!
Very good information. Thanks
My Mom has a degree of dementia, however she also has not great sight AND she is basically deaf .. VERY hard of hearing - she has never had & won’t consider hearing aids .. Makes it a bit more challenging to know if she’s just not hearing or understanding what I say, not comprehending .. so not sure how much is dementia, loss of hearing etc .. she’s 90 & we work with it. My Mom hasn’t been able to pass a MOCHA test for. Long time… she STILL lives in Indy seniors res. residence doing her own thing
Thank you for having The clearest interview giving me the clearest view Alzheimer’s that I have ever seen and an understanding of the stages. Also that I should ask our doctor specific questions about what stage our loved one is in..
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@@davidchristianson8644 ???
My parents both to accept anything at age 87( must hear the same information until they accept it/ is it denial( very much for mother), Mom is the brain Dad is the movement. At 87: it’s mixed things to learn? Energy? Have both seen them tire of caring for each other?( energy, ability, organizing?)
Keep a journal on Dad n Mom both now.( in notes): so going to appts I have a spreadsheet so to speak to communicate.
BTW, great interview. Very helpful. Thank you.
An elderly friend has dementia. He can speak about Business and he recognizes friends but he no longer recognizes his sister ! How is that possible? His sister is very upset and confused about this situation.
Thank you. My husband says his head hurts all the time..pressure..never mentioned it before..talks about he has full blown alz now..like in 10 years he's come to that conclusion!
Thank you doctor Ugo for your tutorial this is very satisfactory it met my expectations.
I don’t know if this question is appropriate but do people with dementia live longer and better in a Memory Care Facility than a Nursing Home?
I live in an area with high number of seniors & senior residences.. independent /ass’t living, long term care and memory care .. some residences cater to just one (my Mom is 90 & has been in an Indy/ass’t residence for 3 yrs., with no assistance (I help with her weekly baths & washing hair every few weeks). My Mom has dementia (I follow Teepa Snow’s Positive Approach to Care - check out her website, videos etc .. INVALUABLE. She has perfected - in conjunction with Alzheimer’s Society etc. Her GEMS system for levels, she is on this program occasionally) My Mom is still able to live on her own, she remembers/forgets, but still ok ..it can change at any time. If her dementia gets bad enough, I would get her in memory care.
Nursing homes are caring for disabled seniors that need 24/7 care, a nursing home/LTC facility isn’t like memory care - at specific memory care residents, the staff are later focused on the needs of dementia, the different types of dementia (Lewy Body, Frontal Lobe, Alzheimer’s & TONS more ) the symptoms of each type of dementia are different. The patient/person is generally treated better because the staff are specialized in the nuances of dementia, they have compassion for the people & they GET how to work best with dementia patients … nursing home staff - not as much.
Truth be told, LTC residences (what you might call a nursing home .. we don’t use that term anymore ) really don’t want people with full blown dementia .. if the behaviour is disruptive to the other residents/staff, they will be required to go to memory care.
My grandma is 91 and she lives in a home my dad has built her on his property and I come to care for anything that she needs. We do this because we feel this will give her a better life and live longer than anyone in a home… there’s people who need that bed and that person will be out of that facility as quickly as they got there and then on to the next person!
Dementia stages (inc. Teepa Snow’s GEMstates) are very FLUID … I find my Mom can change day to day, hr. To hr. .. remember, forfeit.. back & forth .. depends on what the person themselves is like (personality/life experiences) going IN TO dementia. My Mom NEEDS huge routine, familiarity etc. She is high anxiety, but she was this way ALWAYS .. so I take that in to consideration. High anxiety times mean she will forget more etc ..
LOVE Teepa Snow!
Surprised they didn't talk much about how the different dementias present themselves.
0p0
How do you tell adult children that thier parent has signs of dementia? I see it so do others but they dont appear to acknowledge it.The person isnt receiving any medical care for it so frustrating and heartbreaking.I worry about them constantly.I am disabled so I am limited to the amount of care I am able to give.
Sometimes it's denial.
At what stage is a person with dementia able to sign a legal document? For example a DPOA
My mom seems to be in moderate stage of lewdy dementia. Can you elaborate?
This was very helpful.As far as I can tell by his level of confusion around his trailer and getting lost just walking his dog around our property,and starting to have hallucinations, vivid memories of his life on a ranch as a 13 yr old , 70+ yrs ago, I believe he’s late into stage 4.
It is necessary for us caregivers of our parents to be able to have some idea of the stage because I am now his power of attorney and we only have a certain amount of money he set aside for long term care.
So I am trying to keep him home until it gets to the point that I can no longer do it so his finances don’t run out too soon.😏
Wow thanks for that info. Have not even thought about LTC costa😱
I love your discussion. Can you help me with this question? My mom was 90 and had a stroke in 2017. She was diagnosed a couple months later with mild dementia which progressed and she recently passed away at 95. I’m pretty sure that was late-stage dementia because she no longer was interested in food, had dropped 30 lbs. and had trouble swallowing {which is so hard to see}. Does a stroke CAUSE dementia? Thank you.
Yes, strokes cause a kind of dementia called Vascular dementia.
A stroke is a blood clot that blocks a blood vessel in the brain. Parts of the brain that rely on that blood will be damaged or destroyed. While alzheimers is steady and predictable, vascular dementia happens randomly and affects random parts of the brain. For me, the unpredictability is the hardest part.
One of my grandmothers had a massive stroke, and lost almost everything at once. My other grandmother had lots of little bitty strokes that would have been unnoticeable without the bizarre behavior changes.
I hope this helps 🙂
3:56 hallucination at base line 6:17 driving
Unfortunately, the background noise is terrible
What are these tests discussed? MOCHA?
MoCA stands for Montreal Cognitive Assessment. It is used to assess the patient’s level of cognitive impairment.
www.alz.org/media/documents/short-moca-test.pdf
What is a mocha test?
www.alz.org/media/documents/short-moca-test.pdf
Hi Nancy, how's your day going with you?
I'm sorry but to a family member he says it depends to much. No answers.
My mom is 88 she won't take a shower
I saw a woman just got in with her it worked
Hi Arlene, how's your day going with you?
He was indeed a good guest. However, you consistently asked him to repeat information....making a portion of the interview redundant. That being said...I do appreciate your video.
She keeps going back to Alzheimer’s but the doctor says Dementia. Is this a video geared for Alzheimer’s only?
Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia. Dementia is an umbrella term for neurodegenerative diseases.
As we age( if taking a shower is something one has to remember; if someone is in their 80’s( majority grew up w no running water,and an “ out house”)
I have realized the hard ship of life at “early life” factors into the OVERALL ACCEPTANCE of what has changed?
Thr analog clock 🕰️ is such a basic way to understand this.