My Mum had the Addenbrooke cognitive examination test in August 2016 and scored 51/100 she was retested in March 2018 and scored 34/100… I know that she has in recent months steadily declined , the doctor has asked for her to be assessed again. Is her decline in line with what you would expect for someone with vascular dementia? I’m scared at how fast everything is progressing which I know sounds silly as it’s bound to happen… I just feel time is running out for her and worried what the future has just around the corner.
Ruth
Sadly it is to be expected with vascular dementia, the decline goes in small steps, then can take a large step down. Its very sad and difficult. I watched it with my late husband, as I did with other residents at the nursing home was in. My family and myself tried to prepare, but its still a shock, especially a big step down. Dementia is terminal I’m afraid.
Its not silly to be worried and scared, its very natural. Dementia is cruel. To loved ones more than the dementia sufferers, as they are unaware.
If you click the link I’ve put below it will take you to an Alzheimer’s Society Factsheet about Vascular Dementia. I hope that it can provide you with some of the information that you are seeking.
Thanks for the link I have just read it.
Seems like everyone’s dementia and decline is unique to them.
Yes it’s a ever downward slope is dementia.
Now and again I found suddenly, just to give one false hopes, the
sufferer suddenly comes out with an amazing feat of memory, saying
something that even I had forgotten,
But then the slope goes on.
It is so scary. my Mum has Alzheimer’s. She has been fairly stable the past two yeas, but I live in dread of the declines I know can happen. I try to make the most of every day with her. Not easy tho. x
I had that feeling several times Albert. Once the nurses were weighing another resident, but could work out KG to stones. Quick as a flash he did, before the nurse could click into Google. He was spot on too. For all the world I thought he had been misdiagnosed.! Next day it was back with a bang. A bit cross with me, because he had been walking around 25 times looking for me! He couldn’t walk at all! I wished he had been. I smiled and said its a nice day, I bet the walk did you good. Here now so let’s have a rest. Always had to be ahead with my replies, so he wasn’t upset / agitated. Became better at it, but not easy.
The agitation is something that takes me by surprise but with my wife seems to be caused by noise or perceived slights. I disarm my wife with a hug and/or a kiss and it works every time as she’s a lovely person who always liked a hug. I find it does help to work with the underlying personality as it still seems to be there, under the symptoms.
The hustle and bustle at the supermarket tills often causes a bit of agitation and I’m waiting for the cashiers to tell us to get a room
RE flashes of memory…….
It’s a though the brain is saying to you ,
“Look, there’s nothing wrong with me, just listen to this……”
Maybe these ‘flashes,’ that all demntia sufferers seem to have, are an indication towards a cure one day?? Hope so.