The MDs have not spoken to him about it, and since the last one spoke to me, last March, he has seemed to come out of it with only short visits to confusion. He keeps denying he has it, proving it by discussions about philosophical and intellectual ideas. Yet his motor skills are declining and his ability to follow instructions involving more than 3 steps, as well as short term memory loss. I've been playing along with him so far.
redirect him to something he still enjoys ..
I would look up anosognosia. It's the actual INABILITY a patient has to accept their medical condition. I don't think there is any way to get around this. You can discuss it with his doctor. But, even if he did accept it...he would eventually forget about it. So, what have you gained?
I agree to get the proper paperwork signed and sealed.
I remember my Dad would call me on the phone and say how confused he feels I would usually tell him he was tired and that we all get confused every now and then. Then I would redirect the conversion to his hobby, watching the weather, and his mind would quickly go back to the here and now mode and he would chat about what State will get rain and floods, etc.
So, some people do benefit from knowing what their illness is. But that is probably the exception rather than the rule. Trying to force the information on someone who really does not want to know is, in my opinion, unnecessarily unkind.
My mother had dementia for several years before her recent death. Her family and her doctor avoided using the D word with her. She knew she had "memory problems."