Posted on 07/22/2010 7:17:14 AM PDT by Patriot1259
Cognitive decline and memory loss are the biggest fear factor for seniors and their caregivers. Frustrations, miscommunications, and strained emotions further cloud an issue characterized by mental haze.
Determining if “senior moments” are consistent enough to affect quality of life and whether something should be done requires communication. It may be failure to pay attention that first raises concern and prompts the need for discussion.
Sometimes seniors become so accustomed to others planning their days that they don’t take much time to focus on the details. A senior may ask a question and then not pay attention to or not retain the answer. Determining the difference is important. Talking about cognitive decline can bring to light what kind of intervention works. It may seem that just encouraging a parent to pay more attention to conversations would fix the problem, but often it helps to check what the senior actually heard by asking, “What did you hear me say?”
(Excerpt) Read more at thecypresstimes.com ...
I’m going through this now with my 85 year old mother. Just in the last couple of weeks her mind has changed. Heart breaking for sure.
My 88 year old mother is taking Aricept for this now. She just had seven stents put in her heart in the past three weeks. The doctor told us if she hadn’t been the busy working type she would not have lived past her first heart attack. She has good memory about things that happened fifty years ago but her short term is really bad. We become the parents for our parents.
For sure
She has good memory about things that happened fifty years ago but her short term is really bad...
I see the same thing in my 88 year old mom....she continually asks what we are going to do today but will talk very clearly about events long ago.....
I would ask my mother what she heard me say, and she’d answer, “Shut up and leave me alone” or “I WANT MORE JUICE”.
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