Hello everyone:

I am writing a novel right now where a gal finds the family car keys on the top shelf of the dishwasher. Later, she finds slippers in the pantry and a half-full carton of milk and that day’s mail in the oven. Sadly for the milk, she finds is when she preheats the oven and starts smelling burning milk and melted plastic a few minutes later.

These are a couple of hints that all might not be well at home. The question my readers will be asking is: which one of the people who live in the house actually did these acts of possible dementia onset? (You’ll have to read the book, when it’s published, to find out….)

Other issues that may arise are forgetfulness, such as not remembering a family member’s name, anger at relatively minor problems, and unwarranted fears (there’s someone under my bed, there’s a monster in my closet, the stuff that falls off of toast is bugs). When these things come, up, it’s really a good idea to take the individual to the doctor’s office and get a full dementia workup.

Your loved one’s physician can determine what type of dementia has come up and can design a treatment plan that will, hopefully, slow the progression of the disease. Like Ronald Reagan said, dementia is a very slow “goodbye.” (Paraphrase mine.)

What issues have you found with dementia in your loved ones? How did you handle it? I would love for you to share your experience with my readers.

Best,

Dr. Sheri