Neurologist

The day for the appointment with the neurologist came and Mom was resistant about going. She is becoming more and more fearful about things as time goes by. There continues to be problems with memory but perhaps it is not going down hill as fast as it was before the family Dr. got her on the Namenda prescription.

Snickers came in for the appointment at the Neurologist and it went fairly well. The Neurologist interviewed Mom and determined that she is in the early stages of Alzheimer's Disease, AD. He also ordered some blood work to check some things like thyroid for other problems and prescribed another medication to complement the Namenda, Aricept. After we had the blood work done at Lab Core, Snickers took Mom home to stay with her for a couple of days.

It looks like we need to start looking at available Group Homes for AD patients but we are hoping that Mom will still be able to stay in her apartment for the time being without any serious incidents. I call her every morning around 9AM and every evening around 9PM to make sure she has taken her medication and has eaten something. She logs in what and when she takes for medication on a tablet on her kitchen table. We continue to take care of her grocery shopping and deliver the groceries weekly. Mom is starting to be a little more sociable we think with the other residents at the apartments. She attends a Bible Study on Monday evenings, watches a dance group on Friday evenings, and walks with a friend periodically. We still take her to church services on Wednesday nights and on Sunday when she feels well enough to attend.

Her new glasses were ready to pick up at America's Best so I took her in to get them. They look real nice and she seems to like them. We are trying to encourage her to start reading again. She used to be an avid reader. Also, we suggested that she start playing solitaire again. She used to enjoy that too. We try to remind ourselves to be patient and remember that she really is not what she used to be mentally and it is not her fault.