How to diagnose vascular dementia

Thanks. I guess we have to live with the guess game. My folks are not going to do this memory test or pet scan anyway. My Mom would not want to go through this. Most doctors if not neurologist/psychiatrist are like family doctors, they just do what they can in their own field. Most people ignore dementia until things really show. Now it is not very obvious. But my sisters and my Dad are guessing that my Mom has some little memory loss like being bad tempered. I am not there all the time so I have no idea, but it is not very obvious on the phone. I just don't like this guess game, but lots of people do that. Poor Mom, my folks are always judging her memory situation biasedly. It is too "liberal" for my Mom to do this memory test and etc. I personally think that lots of people still don't take aricept or try to get early diagnosis as they think it is just old age. However, her doctor in the states is very good (he helped my Dad go through the whole operation stuff.) I just wish there is a way to tell. I geuss it would have to wait until she really shows very bad signs. Now it is just in gray area and I am not sure she really has (just old age.) I guess dementia is like that - people guess about it in early stage. Thanks, Nina

Some personality changes, like the temper thing, are typical after stroke or even mini-stroke. But yes, you'll likely have to wait. As usual, you've nailed it down, Nina.

Carol