Since my mom had visiting nurses through her healthcare plan, I was able to convey my concerns to them when they visited her for the back injury follow-ups.  Soon, we had an appointment with mom's doctor.  The doctor recommended a memory test and I took mom to the appointment.  She struggled with several of the memory questions and I knew that this had to be bad news.  The doctor reviewed the report and suggested that the problem could be caused by a thyroid hormone imbalance.  If this turned out to be true, it would have been very good news and she would have made a full recovery from the memory difficulties, eventually.

Despite attempts to reverse the memory problems with medication adjustments, change was not to come.  The problem escalated and a trip to a neurologist was ordered.  A diagnosis of "Unspecified Dementia" was the result, due to the CT scan revealing some atrophy of the brain.  Perhaps we were seeing Vascular Dementia related to her stroke or early signs of Alzheimer's disease.  Another comparison CT scan would tell us more in the months ahead.  Sadly, this could be both types of dementia together.  That would be immensely unfair.

Anyone observing the behavior of repeating questions or frequently restating the same remarks, in a friend or loved one, should be alert to the possibility of dementia.  Some forms of dementia are reversible and treatment should be sought as soon as possible.  If the result is a diagnosis of dementia, early treatment can improve the quality of life for that person.  If the dementia is not reversible, there will be many progressive stages of change and many challenges ahead.  It is a heartrending journey for all concerned. 

My mother is now in the latter stages of the illness and her world is fraught with delusion and misunderstanding.  Each new day brings bouts of frustration, confusion, anxiety, tension, hallucination, incontinence, paranoia, false beliefs, agitation, anger, and depression.  We've come this far in as little as ten months.  The rate of progression varies among individuals.  Her body remains strong despite the progression of the illness in her brain.  In the final stages of dementia, the body will begin to fail as brain function falters.  It will be a very solemn and saddening thing to witness.