@phyllisann922: Some have asked what the early signs were for my mom in her cognitive decline.. 2017 (67yrs old): My mom was having trouble remembering things at work so she went to see a neurologist. He did an MRI & told her her forgetfulness was likely caused by stress/anxiety/depression & to see a therapist, possibly needing medication. Since the neurologist assured her it wasn’t Alzheimer’s (she was so scared of getting Alzheimer’s like her dad) she never went for treatment of her anxiety or depression. 2018 (68yrs old): My mom felt her memory was getting worse so she asked me to go back to the neurologist with her. He did another MRI and found that in comparing the two scans there was brain shrinkage. The neurologist recommended we go to Penn Medicine in Phila for further testing and clinical trials so we did that. They diagnosed her with “mild cognitive impairment”. She retired from her job selling insurance at the end of this year. 2019 (69yrs old): We noticed things continued to get worse for her. She wasn’t able to pay her bills or write checks anymore and she would get lost when she drove places. The doctors at Penn Medicine diagnosed her with Alzheimer’s and started her on an Alzheimer’s drug called Memantine, along with a drug for anxiety and depression. We stopped the clinical trials because they didn’t seem to be doing much for her and the testing really stressed her out. Today, my mom relies on her 3 children and her 2 caregivers. She cries nearly every morning because she is scared and confused when she wakes up. She constantly thinks people come into her home and take her things. She can not bathe or dress on her own, she can not brush her hair or put on her makeup. She can not make her meals or pour herself a glass of juice. She 𝒊𝒔 however still able to brush her teeth, if we put the toothpaste on the toothbrush for her and show her where the bathroom is, and she can also put her shoes on if we place them next to the correct foot. She can still walk and talk (although it’s difficult for her to find words and follow a conversation now) and she can still DANCE! 💃

Dancing for Memories

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Wednesday 29 November 2023 22:27:36 GMT