My mother, who is 81 and NOT diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer's, experiences deja vu while watching TV shows. We will start watching a new taped episode and she insists that she has seen it already, which she hasn't. She just came home from watching a movie in our local theater and told me that the movie was good, but she realized a few minutes in that she had already seen it. She hadn't. But she insists that she knows what is going to happen, how it is going to end, the characters, etc. She gets very upset and confused about it. I try not to argue with her, but she insists that she is not making things up and it is starting to scare her. Within the last year her doctor had tested her for dementia and said she is fine. In my opinion, her doctor has her taking way to much medication for depression, fibromyalgia, and other concerns, and I am wondering if it is affecting her mind or memory. Has anyone else heard of such a thing? Could it be the beginning stages of dementia or memory issues?
The movie situation is similar to my mother who has been diagnosed with dementia and will no longer sit through movies or tv shows which are her favorite. The short term losses must be problematic and my mom says the same thing. The only thing she watches is Fox news or CNN. The repetitive cycle helps her to retain what is going on in the world!
As for todays movies, I don't watcvh them. Sme with the TV shows.
If you are concerned that she is being over medicated, you might want to discuss this with her pharmacist, who can review all her meds and tall you if there are any know interactions.
You might want to consider having mom see a geriatrician. Most geriatrician have a philosophy of " less is more" when it comes to meds for seniors.
If this sense of deja vu is started to scare your mom, I might consider having her seen by a neurologist. I assume when you say she was tested for dementia, you mean that her PCP did a brief memory test. True dementia evaluations consist of a much more extensive workup of reasoning and thinking skills.
"Apart from epilepsy, déjà vu has been observed in vascular dementia and more rarely in other dementias. Patients with fronto-temporal dementia experience persistent déjà vu and fabricate stories about their current life to rationalize the illusion."
This is my mother with vascular dementia.
I have seen it myself. Thus your mother has a very good memory to recall the plot line :)