Dementia in an Aging Parent

Realizing and actually internalizing that your aging parent is exhibiting symptoms of dementia may be hard. But if they've forgotten to pay their bills, or taken their money out of the bank and hidden it, or if you've heard about their strange behavior from another person, then it is usually time for you to take action and at least find out if they have dementia, or a chemical imbalance that's causing their bizarre behavior.

The first step you can take is to accompany them to a doctor and have them go a complete physical examination. Before you go, check their medicine cabinet and night stand and make a complete list of all their prescriptions. Sometimes side effects from prescription drugs can create dementia-like effects.

Normally, the doctor will take a blood test. One of the things he checks for is potassium level. Low potassium can affect memory and cognitive ability and make people act a little strange.

The blood test will also check for syphilis. I realize it seems absolutely ludicrous to think your elderly parent would have a venereal disease such as syphilis. But it must be completely ruled out before the doctor can go on to test for the next possible cause. The affects of syphilis on the brain over time can result in dementia-like symptoms. Giving approval for the syphilis test is the start of the little indignities that will occur when your parent is suspected of having dementia. These indignities are the way older people with dementia symptoms are often treated by the medical community and the general public at large. You may find that it's difficult for anyone to show genuine compassion for your aging parent and their frail mental condition. This inability of showing compassion from others may make you aware that your own role in looking after your aging parent's well-being is increasing, and this increase in responsibility may be scary, at least it was for me.

Memory Field Test

To test for dementia a doctor can perform a memory field test. The doctor will explain to your parent how he will make the test. During a casual conversation, he will list three items that your parent should try to remember. In my mom's case, it was a red Cadillac, Elvis, and a birthday cake. Then he'll engage your parent in some other conversation and ask them a few difficult questions such as "Who is the current President of the U.S.A?" or "Who is the Vice-President?" After this distraction, he'll ask your parent to repeat those three key items (red Cadillac, Elvis, and a birthday cake) he mentioned earlier. If your parent fails to remember two of the three, the doctor will probably recommend further testing at a hospital that tests geriatric patients for memory and mental problems. If he doesn't recommend further testing, be sure to ask him why he doesn't.

CAT Scan

Sometimes, if your parent fails the field test, the doctor may recommend a CAT scan to find any undetected strokes or tumors that may be causing the abnormalities in their behavior. If your doctor doesn't recommend this, ask about it. A CAT scan can see through layers in your parent's brain and search for an undetected stroke. Recent studies have found that silent, small strokes may be present in as many as 80% of people with dementia. If your parent has high blood pressure, this is especially applicable, as their arteries may harden with age and small pieces may break off and cause tiny clots in the vein. These micro strokes in the brain are called infractions. They can short-circuit the brain's wiring, causing dementia. This form of dementia is known as multi-infarct dementia. While you can't undo the damage of these strokes, you can see that your parent takes the correct drugs to help prevent future strokes - and, hopefully, slow your parent's mental decline.

The doctor visit is the beginning of many steps you can take in a proactive approach to determine if your parent is suffering from chronic dementia, or if an imbalance of drugs or minerals is adversely affecting their internal chemistry. From my experience it is you that will have to take the lead role, as your aging parent may be unable to, and from my experience, the doctor may be unwilling to.

The doctor may be able to isolate the problem, or he may recommend a geriatric evaluation, or, as happened in my case, he may just put his hands out as if to say "What do we do now?" If this happens, I recommend that you line up your own geriatric evaluation at a local hospital. If your aging parent is on Medicare, a geriatric evaluation is usually paid for.

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