Unfortunately i can’t think of a better title for this thread. My mother is in her 80’s and has some minor strokes over the last few years. I spotted something was wrong most recently when she said she’d seen me and my brother in the car park of her flat one night. Neither of us were there.
In that instance she wasn’t sure if she’d dreamt it or not so I let it pass but as she’d been more forgetful too we ended up in A&E where the strokes were diagnosed. Her only symptons are confusion and lack of balance. For example she cannot work the hob or telephone and i see her struggling to process information.
She spent 2 weeks in hospital and has been in a care home for a month while we get assessments etc completed so she can go home.
Whilst in the home she has become concerened that her possesions have bern going missing but the ‘culprit’ returns them a few days later. I understand this is quite a common way of dealing with memory loss and I try and reassure her that all is ok once we have found the items she has misplaced.
Separate to this she tends to have odd trains of thought which I don’t know if are as a result of the strokes or age or perhaps dementia. They are hard to describe but tend to relvolve around very far fetched solutions for ordinary events. Its like 2+2=9. Sometimes this results in conflict when I try and reassure her that its not the case.
I havent mentioned this to any medical staff , she has had a lot of tests at the hospital and no one mentioned dementia. Is is possible that this confusion is a result of the strokes too?
@Miniver sorry to hear of the troubles your mum is having. The confusion could be stroke related but equally could be something like dementia. The 2 could also be interlinked. Urine infections can also cause confusion.
If it was me i would mention your concerns to the home & ask about getting some tests done so you know for sure what’sgoing on.
Hope you get some answers soon.
Best wishes.
Ann xx
Shwmae @Miniver, as far as I am to understand, dementia is not a condition, rather, it is a term used to describe the effects of a particular condition, and stroke certainly can cause confusion or “brain fog” as many survivors call it. I had brain fog for about three months after stroke. It could be related to stroke damage, in my opinion, there is no such thing as a minor stroke. It’s not the size of the stroke but where it occurs that seems to upend an otherwise sharp mind. However, as we age our brains are less adaptable to dealing with change, unless constantly challenged, many parts are hardwired and, when struck, find it tricky to make new pathways. It is possible your mum has onset Alzheimers but that’s not necessarily stroke related. It’s a tough position to be in, my mother-in-law suspects theft all the time, and her memory is failing her … she is eighty and has had no stroke as far as we know, as silent strokes can affect people as they age and go undetected due to most people not having their brain scanned regularly.
I hope that this is not disrupting her life too much, but talking frankly about it might help and regular memory exercises do keep the old hippocampus limber.
Thanks for your input It is complicated and the ‘minor cognitive impairment’ might be related to the strokes or something else, as you say. I’m not sure how helpful further investigation would be.
I’m trying to establish if she is likely to improve if she goes home, or get worse. She is unhappy in the care home (my limited knowledge of them is that they are all much of a muchness, unfortunately) so we are going to try in-home care and see how we get on. Failing that we might have to try ‘warden assisted’ or else buying somewhere together so she can live with me.
I will perservere with the memory games etc and hope it improves.
*thanks to everyone for their comments *
Hello again,
Unfortunately my mother passed away recently folpoeing a broken hip so I will be leaving this site.
Thank you for your support.
It appears that she may have had bouts of delirium as a result of the small strokes, rather than ‘formal’ dementia. I was unaware of this condition which is apparently quite common in elderly people who are admitted to hospital.or have operations. Do look out for it.
Best wishes to you all.
Condolences,
Sorry for your loss.
I hope grieving allows the fond memories to cloud out the other emotions soon
Best wishes
Simon
@Miniver so sorry to hear of your sad loss. sending my heartfelt condolences to you & your family.
Best wishes
Ann xx