Hi everyone my mum is in the early onset stage of az although to look at her you would think that she is ok,her memory loss is only slight but i am concerned about her unusual behavier,ie: grunting noises,fijiting, when i am not in the same room as her i can hear her mumbling to herself,she will not go out on her own,i do not no if this is the az or something else?
Has your Mom been diagnosed by a physician? Is she on any of the early AD meds that help in the short run?
It sounds like her behavior is quite typical of a dementia pateint. Just try to ignore her. If you try to explain and reason with her, it makes you upset and does not do any good.
Do you have any plans for long term care later, since it is almost impossible for a person to take full time care of an Alzheimer patient when in the final stages?
Have you heard of a new drug being developed in Scotland which is going to reverse the brain changes that cause Alzheimer's? ( IF the next tests show it really works.) We are all hoping and praying that this drug will completely change the Alzheimer landscape. Maybe your Mom will get better!
Meanwhile, we hope to see you often. Many of the people who come here regularly are in the middle of the worst stages of caring for a loved one with Alzheimers. Others, like myself, lost a parent (my Mom) or other loved one to this disease recently.
Faye, what you described is exactly what I saw in the months and years leading up to Mom's final diagnosis. She would fidgit and mumble and complain. She got to the point that she didn't want to go out but would complain that she didn't get to. I think she was aware of the changes because she went to extraordinary lengths to get wills, POAs, medical directives in order. She also did major repairs to the house because one day we would need to sell it and she didn't want us to have to deal with the repairs. She was so obcessive about this that she had the outside of the house painted twice in a little over a year and did the wills three times.
When I look back I remember saying her memory was "not that bad" but in reality it was. Is your Mom repeating the same stories to you? Have you double checked what she says with such clarity to find out the reality behind it. Is she using avoidance techniques like saying..."Oh I knew that". They are masters at covering up at first.
If she has been diagnosed, then this is definitely part of the disease. If she has not been diagnosed you might want to get that done to make sure. ALso be aware if she is showing signs of depression. Many times that goes hand in hand with ALZ. That is treatable.
We do hope to hear from you often. This is a difficult journey. I am probably nearing the end of Dad's journey with Vascular Dementia but only in the middle of Mom's. There is nothing like the real life experiences, support, and encouragement that you get here from those that have walked in your shoes. So come back often In the mean time take one of our towels and hold on to it. It's great for stuffing in your ears when you have just heard enough mumbling
I don't remember the details since it all started after my Mom passed away. But it is in one or another stage of testing. A year ago they said it will be out in 5 years, so now it's 4. It looked very hopeful. I wrote down the name of the drug and cannot find that paper. They say it can heal and reverse brain damage, not just slow progress.
When she first had to stop working about 1 year ago, she would make odd breathing noises which went away after the Aricept was in her system a while. She calmed down and now she is very mellow.
I have noticed crying but no tears. It is when she gets frustrated trying to do a task or if she is uncomfortable (too cold or too hot)
Overall, she is happy. No pacing etc, however we have a paid licensed companion who takes her out on the bus and rail. I really think that helps alot.
I have no idea if meds would help. I am going to take a Holistic approach and try something like Saint Johns Wort etc...meds seem to add too many side effects
Last edited by Lookingout4Mom; 01-29-2009 at 10:27 PM.
Looking, glad to hear your mom has settled in as well as she has. Yes, they do get frustrated with what they can't do. Mom does. This is just part of the disease. There is some medical reseach on the effectiveness of St. John's Wart and it does seem to be effective in mild depression without all the side effect thought there have been some side effect noted. Be sure to inform her doctor or check with her pharmacist because there are a few meds that interact with St. John's Wart. I hope it works well for your Mom.
In the mean time take one of our towels and hold on to it. It's great for stuffing in your ears when you have just heard enough mumbling 
