Dementia Observations

I was watching on of my favorite "lazy Sunday afternoon movies' this weekend, A Few Good Men. At one point in the movie, the lawyers are discussing their case when Tom Cruise's character says: "It doesn't matter what you think. It only matters what you can prove!" Sometimes art really does imitate life. But then again, sometimes it doesn't.

There are a number of things that I have learned in my years at Home Instead Senior Care. Some lessons I have learned correlate with specific scientific studies and factoids which validate my amateur assertions. Most of the time, however, my experience has taught me things that medical science may not publish.

This is one of those times.

There is an old adage about Alzheimer's and dementia which states: "Once you've seen one case of Alzheimer's, you've seen one case of Alzheimer's." That is true. And while every person who battles with Alzheimer's has a unique story to tell, there are some fairly consistent themes. Alzheimer's is typically a steady progression. It may be a fast progression. It may be a slow progression. In every case I have seen, it is a steady progression.

Here is a theoretical (and in no way related to a real person that I spoke with recently) example.
A previously competent father falls one morning and is admitted to a hospital for observation. After being discharged, he is sent to a rehab facility where he can receive medical attention for his wounds until they are healed. Within days of admittance into the facility, he begins to show massive signs of confusion and is hardly able to carry on a conversation. The family contacts me and says- 'He won't be able to return home now that his Alzheimer's has progressed.'

This is not the Alzheimer's that I have seen. Whenever there is an immediate drop in cognitive function, there is almost always another cause. There might be a stroke or some other type of event. Most commonly, it is a result of medication changes in my experience. Senior's kidneys work less efficiently and therefore make them more susceptible to the effects of 'pharmacological tinkering.'

So if you see someone who was as 'sharp as a tack' yesterday and 'doesn't know he's in the world' today, chances are that it isn't Alzheimer's.


[Opinions expressed therein are observational in nature and do not constitute a medical diagnosis. Lair Family Ventures LLC dba Home Instead Senior Care are not liable for any damage done if reader adopts what was previously stated as an opinion as a matter of fact. But seriously people, why would you look to a blog to diagnose or treat anyone. I'm flattered. But seriously?]