Recognizing Dementia in Your Parents: More than Just Forgetting

Dementia can be caused by many different medical issues: vitamin deficiency, circulation problems, infections, and even some medications. These types of dementia can be easily treated, and the prognosis is usually a return to normal life. 

Unfortunately for my mother, these were ruled out one by one. The only diagnosis left was dementia, probably caused by Alzheimer's.

After her diagnosis I started doing extensive research about dementia. I learned there are many different types of this devastating disease. I also learned why I hadn't noticed she was suffering from dementia. She had many lesser known symptoms of dementia.

After learning these symptoms and looking back over the past few years, I discovered that my mother had been showing signs of dementia as early as six years ago. In older people these symptoms are commonly thought of as just "old age", but they can be a telltale sign of dementia as well.

She also had a major balance problem. She became very unsteady on her feet, falling or stumbling often, and losing her balance easily.

Another weird symptom that made sense after the fact was her facial expressions. She sometimes had this emotionless blank stare. If she were happy, she wouldn’t smile much. If she was aggravated, you really couldn’t tell because her expression pretty much remained the same.

I take her on yearly trips to see her family in Missouri. I began to notice a few years ago that as she sat and visited with her brothers and sisters, she wouldn’t join in the conversation like she used to. If asked a direct question she would answer, but otherwise she remained silent and just watched.

This past year I began to notice a difficulty in making simple decisions. At a fast food restaurant when asked a simple question as “Do you want French fries or onion rings,” she would just stand there as if she didn’t hear or understand the question. It was as if she had a delayed reaction in processing information.

There are so many little things that make sense now. If only I had known what to look for.

Vascular dementia is caused by brain damage related to cardiovascular events.

A specialist in the field of neurology can determine exactly what type of dementia your loved one is suffering from.

The next step for my mother is to be seen by neurologist who specializes in these disorders of the brain to figure out exactly what type of dementia she has.

Although knowing what's coming can bring some peace of mind, unfortunately with all types of dementia the end result is the same. Slowly her brain will deteriorate to the point where it no longer will control her body's functions.