I was told that it really doesn't matter if it's vascular or Alzheimer. Doctors in my town seem to avoid labeling, and so does my husband. I prefer knowing more about what to expect. Planning for the possible future would be helpful to me, and for medicines I would think. 3 years ago she had brain scans, and did not show signs of typical late stage alzheimers, but did show age related narrowing of veins to or in the brain. She was given Aricept anyway, and an antidepressant. I've read about both, but feel confused.
@HelperMom, I hope your dad's care team figures out how to help him soon. It can be really hard to pinpoint just why someone becomes more aggressive or confused, and a move often makes things a little worse in the short term because it's stressful for someone with dementia. I will say that generally Aricept seems most likely to cause side-effects when people first start taking it, but quite possible it's not doing much for your father now and who knows, maybe it is contributing to his difficulties now. I think it's wise to try to not change too many things at once, and then just keep going with the trial-and-error, as you are doing.
Of course love, social connections, and exercise tend to help just about everyone, but often a little more of something seems needed...
If you watch all the seminars you may be able to recognize the symptoms of your loved one and know more without relying on a reluctant doctor. Educating yourself is of the utmost importance. You know your loved one better than anyone else.
Esp in older adults (aged 80+), mixed dementia seems to be pretty common. I do think that some of my patients seem more vascular to me, and some feel more like Alzheimer's. Sometimes neuropsych testing seems to help everyone sort things out, but often I find it doesn't end up changing management very much.
In terms of what to expect, there's a lot of variability among individuals, both in terms of what's challenging for the patient, what kind of difficult behaviors come up, how quickly people decline. In general, geriatricians try medications and interventions as needed in order to manage a certain problem, like depression or agitation. For improving cognition, Aricept seems to work for some people but not do much for most.
I guess what I am saying is that there seems to be no way to help people know exactly what to expect. You can expect eventual decline and certain types of problems are common. To help every individual person with dementia be the best they can be, one needs to focus on the individual and usually do some trial-and-error to figure out what works for that person and his/her family.
Good luck, it's a long challenging road to travel.
Comments on this post are all good ones. Enjoyed reading them.
treatable and even reversible. source: Mayo Clinic
You really need to know correct dementia diagnosisAlzheimer's
disease and dementia, there is a distinct difference, other
dementias: Vascular dementia, Parkinson'sdisease, dementia with Lewy
Bodies and Frontotemporaldementia. Some causes of dementia are
treatable and evenreversible. source: Mayo Clinic
tinyurl/qdgj9g Carers need to know correct diagnosis.
--------------
Dementia Definition By Mayo Clinic staff
Dementia isn't a specific disease. Instead, dementia describes a
group of symptoms affecting intellectual and social abilities
severely enough to interfere with daily functioning. Many causes of
dementia symptoms exist. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause
of a progressive dementia.
Beware of Brain Dead Doctors !!
I love that the doctors tell you they prefer to avoid labelling. Sounds much more professional than "search me, haven't a clue!"
So that leaves why it matters to know; and the answer to that is, of course, because it could affect the treatment of disease and alleviation of symptoms. If you have a suspicion - have you? - that your mother's doctor is prescribing for the sake of it, and the medications don't seem to help, continue to ask for reviews and don't be afraid to insist on knowing what the point of any treatment is. A repeat scan might be helpful, too, allowing for 'before' and 'after' comparison.
I hugely sympathise. I find it very difficult that there is no reliable map in this territory.