My husbands 84 yr old grandmother now has dementia. From what I'm reading, there is no cure and not much hope of slowing it down. Her doc has already prescribed meds for the anxiety/ocd and for the "daytime agitation" to control some of the symptoms and make it easier for us. He has suggested maybe having a CAT scan done to see if it is from mini stokes. If nothing more can be done than to manage the symptoms, am I wrong to not want to put her thru all of the testing? My only concern is that every once in a blue moon, she's lucid for a brief hour or so. Is this common at all with typical vascular dementia or should I be concerned that something else is medically causing the dementia? I don't want to put her through the confusion and expense of needless testing but also don't want to find out later that something else was causing it and we might have caught it in time to do something about it. Any advice on what to do?
If you are concerned that it may be something else, perhaps a a good gerontologist could look over her meds, etc and rule out other causes.
My personal belief is, that at this age, seniors are better off with less invasive measures
good luck
Overgrowth of Candida Albicans also can cause dementia. If she has used antibiotics without supplementing with probiotics she could have Candida overgrowth.
There is a product called Candex made by Pure Essence that we use from www.iherb.com. My husband has responded very well using this product. We also purchase our B12 from there. The best one is Source Naturals Advanced B12 Complex because it has Folic acid also which is needed for better absorption. He takes 5 tablets under tongue twice a day. B12 needs to be the natural methylcobalamin form for better absorption.
There are so many causes of dementia that I cannot even begin to discuss. The more you research the more you learn, but you must research alternative, natural methods. HOLISTIC METHODS. Mainstream medicine just does not include vitamins and minerals.
This is just my observations, you have to do your own research and make your own decisions. Good Luck!
my dad went to behavior place to get him stop hollarin 24-7 . like his mind is stuck . he came home worst shape and those meds they had him on was killing him , i quit givin him those new 3 meds. and exalon patch . now he s better .
dementia and alz we know its gonna get worst till the lord comes and takes em.
Here are a few of my experiences:
I had excruciating pain along my gum line after oral surgery. My docs just shrugged their shoulders and said they couldn't see anything wrong. (docs don't do well with "pain" ...they think it is all in your head) I went to my nat. pharmacy, was given a nerve pain reliever. In 2 or 3 doses the pain was gone!
My mother has hairline fractures in her ribs. He doc gave her a strong pain med which had limited effect. Nat. gave her an herbal supplement which took away the pain. I am sure the two work together, but at least she is pain free now.
My neighbor is miserable every fall and spring with severe allergies. Docs put him through extensive tests, gave him shots, wanted him to take steriods!! Nat. gave him a supplement. After one week, he is less congested and able to be outdoors without choking.
As with anything you put into your body, you have to be cautious...even with natural remedies. But I have better result with natural remedies than with OTC drugs or an Rx. Lately, I noticed that my trips to my docs have decreased and my health has improved. Another thing I like about naturopathic docs is that they LISTEN. Mine had an extensive questionaire, talked with me for about an hour, and made solid recommendations that have worked! Shouldn't this be the standard for all docs?
Back to the subject at hand: it is rarely wise to subject seniors to invasive testing - especially for Alz/Dementia because it is such a subjective diagnosis. We need to look at nutrition, vitamin deficiencies, drug interactions, and mental/emotional/social isolation before we start haphazardly diagnosing alz.
just my 5 cents...Lilli
And some of the drugs DO help. My mom was diagnosed with Alzheimers and has been on Aricept and Namenda since December. Not only has her behavior stopped declining in some areas, it has actually improved in others. In my case, Mom had stopped reading and is now doing it again. I don't know how much she is understanding, but she enjoys picking up her books again.
This is what we went through with Mom's testing. Her doctor's are very compassionate and understanding if she got upset. I strongly suggest working with geriatric specialists:
1. Memory test
2. Blood tests (this ruled out many possible causes, including tyroid and B12 deficiency)
3. CAT scan
4. Follow up doctor visits to discuss results
5. Visit to geriatric psychiatrist to evaluate all results and make diagnosis and get medications prescribed
6. Follow up visits every 3 months
Except for the CAT scan, none of it was invasive. Sometimes the questions may be upsetting. My mom didn't like not knowing the answers, but she was always over it by the next day.
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