My father had a small
stroke two years ago. He did not know he had one probably
happened during sleep. Since then his memory has been
bad. Doc diagnosed vascular dementia. He is getting
progressively worse, short term memory spasmodic and now
very forgetful. Can ring 3 times in half hour and ask same
question. Forgets keys, etc. We now have carers going in 3
times daily to make sure he has medication. Question is he
has not been prescribed any medication to slow down or
assist with the memory and confusion issues. He only takes
the same tabs he had before, i.e. pain heart etc. I would
like to know if there is any medication he could be taking
to improve matters. He is 82 yrs old and otherwise fit and
healthy. It is distressing to see how he is deteriorating. Since mum died 5 years ago he is very
depressed at times and is getting worse. He does not like
winter so that does not help matters. I sometimes feel
that he is not being prescribed anything because of his
age and the cost. I would gladly pay for any medication if
available. Docs seem singularly disinterested in helping
us and just fob us off saying nothing can be done it is
just his age. Please can you help?
|
 |
First off, as usual, I must
reiterate that I am not a physician, and I can't diagnose or
prescribe.
I do understand and empathize
with your frustration that your doctors don't seem to be
listening to you. It happens time and time again.
In my opinion age has nothing
to do with what he is experiencing. His confusion is
probably a result of his stroke (vascular dementia, as they
are saying). There may also be another dementia-causing
problem, as well. These things often occur concurrently.
In order to get a true
assessment of your father's condition I would recommend that
he have a thorough assessment by a neurologist. After that
is done you should have a better understanding of what is
causing his confusion and dementia. Whether there might be
medication to help alleviate some of his symptoms only a
qualified physician could say.
I would also want to have him
assessed by a psychiatrist for his depression. It is
sometimes difficult to treat depression in a person who
cannot remember, but there are medications that might help.
Again, only a concerned and competent physician can evaluate
that.
From your choice of words and
the way you say things I have the feeling you might be from
the UK. I don't know the process for obtaining referrals to
specialists such as neurologists and psychiatrists in
medical systems outside the USA. You may have to advocate
fairly seriously for your father if your general
practitioner must authorize these referrals.
From what I have read
recently the UK is restricting the use of certain
Alzheimer's drugs. This may be part of the reason your
physician is not prescribing anything at the moment. You
might simply ask the doctor whether this is the reason. If
so, there may be a way to obtain these medications without
involving your national health system. I'm afraid I don't
know.
You should be aware, however,
that none of these medications will reverse vascular
dementia. Once the damage has been done, we have no way to
repair it. Some medications do slow the progression of
certain kinds of dementia in some patients. None of the
medications we have today is reliable for every patient.
I am concerned that your
father appears to be alone throughout much of the day and at
night. From your description it appears that he is too
confused and forgetful to be alone this much. If he is
losing his keys I conclude that he is going out alone or,
heaven forbid, driving. There is a very real danger that he
will not be able to find his way home again if he is out
walking. If he is driving, he is dangerous to both himself
and to others. Please give some thought to finding him a
more supervised living situation, before he or someone else
is injured, or worse.
  |
