Dementia: 10 Things I Wish Doctors Told Us

Getting information from the medical community can be frustrating! Here are ten things I wish a doctor had told us.

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[ploydp]

The most disheartening aspect of caring for a loved one who exhibits signs of Mild Cognitive Impairment is the dismissal by other family members as well as medical professionals of these issues.

[Kiinell]

You're so right. Nobody tells you anything. That's why videos like yours are so valuable.

[drinajgb]

No kidding. I’ve learned mostly about dementia from you tube. We are approaching year 13. All the doctors do is say see you in 6 months. Gosh. Thanks, Doc.

[janetbush]

My mom has dementia and I've gotten more understanding and information from your channel the her doctor or any other channel .

[kristalmanno]

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I am going through the beginnings of stage 4 with my mom right now. My grandmother also had Demetia while having polycystic kidney disease. What a hoot that was... lol
My mother took care of my grandmother until she passed. Now my mom denies my grandmother had dementia, while denying her own dementia. I'm Praying for everyone who is a caregiver. It's a very humbling time.

[loribecchi]

I had a friend who worked for me, I owned a cleaning company.She seemed fine, somewhat forgetful but was a good cleaner.
She seemed to have slipped and I went to her house to check on her cause she said she wasn't home, she was in another condo. When I went there and asked if she could work with me she responded by saying'You don't want to come this far.' I was like No, It's no problem
i can pick you up here. She said"oh no this isn't my house, I just clean here." She had been living there since the late 70's! Since I had been reading about dementia because of my mom in law I knew NOT to argue. I just said ok Judy.. no problem. I lived right up the street.

[maggiealbritton]

I am in early- mid stage dementia. I can relate to everything she said. It seems that my Psychiatrist is totally uninterested in my case! He only wants to see me 2-times a year. Why bother?
I am blessed that my daughter is a pharmacist because she tells my doctors what to prescribe!
I mean, what is this hopeless, indifferent, not interested attitude from my Psychiatrist? What’s the point in having a Psychiatrist? What do patients do when family members are not supportive? It seems they are on their own!
I am THANKFUL for my family and I pray for those that do not have support from family!
Doctors should, at least, act interested, even though there is no cure for dimentia.

[audrianafreberg]

My Dad died of Alzheimer's 7 months ago, and we are currently in the thick of it with my mom(I am thinking stage 6-ish now). It was not until we moved them into an assisted living/nursing facility that we were truly educated on what to expect. Not by the doctors, but by the nursing staff at their facility, who have been wonderful. They have been the ones who walk us through what was/is normal, what we could expect, and ways to address the issues. Both of my parents have presented so differently in their symptoms that it is almost like starting over with Mom even though we have already been through this with Dad. Because of this, we have new questions and concerns that they are helping us through. The neurologist basically gave us the diagnosis and a couple of pamphlets with information. I have learned more from the handful of videos I have watched of yours than we have from their neurologists.

[jeanneborer]

The book "The 36-hour Day" by Mace & Rabins was very helpful to me. Also was given some very good information by the medical director of the assisted living/memory care facility my MIL was at.
But, by and large, the medical community was less than helpful or informative. And SO many medical professionals had no idea how to deal with her. There really needs to be more training for everyone who is likely to interact with people with dementia from medical office receptionists, ultrasound technicians, dentists, ED nurses, etc. We couldn't get an ED nurse to understand that asking a dementia patient things like "What day of the week is it?" wasn't appropriate assessment tool for a concussion.

[HeathersJourney]

Yes! It's so frustrating the lack of knowledge/communication and support. Some things could even have been shared "simply" giving a really clear phamplet

[theaweavers]

Lots of valid points ... we had to stop my loved one driving because they were dangerous!!! You have to take charge but also not upset them by not fighting with them because they have no understanding of their condition just be kind to them and yourself and enjoy that moment .xxx

[debby]

They told us nothing of what to expect, things to watch for or how to handle situations…nothing just here’s the diagnosis, Aricept and Namenda….neither of which helps my mom. Mom seems to know that something isn’t right but yet paranoid, zero cognitive ability, personality changes, anger, frustration and denial.

[dizfan]

I agree with everything you said. I only found out about the stages and symptoms of dementia my husband was experiencing through my own research. All I got from our doctor was a prescription for Namzeric. Your videos and the candid way you present information are excellent. Thank you so much for such wonderful, useful advice!

[Travelleramit]

My 78 year old mom has just been Diagnosed with Dementia .
Thank you for sharing your experience. This content is very useful for patient
Care givers like me
Respect from india 🇮🇳

[trevorpowdrell]

Make sure you get a durable power of attorney early. I waited until after my wife lost the ability to sign documents and had to go to court to get conservatorship.

[jeanniedavis]

Thank you so much for your videos! We are dealing with dementia in our family. Now on 6 going rapidly to 7. Didn't know anything about the stages. I have learned so much and am looking forward to passing along to the family.

[gigilala]

Wish I had seen this before I lost my husband to this terrible disease. No Dr explained many of these symptoms and stages. You gave me more info then they did. The loss of my husband was so terrible because I didn’t understand a lot of the things you discussed. My heart is broken from the loss and the end of what he went through in the facility he was in till I took him out of there and home. 💔😢

[jodylarson]

One of the best sources for information are videos by Teepa Snow that are available here on YouTube. She goes over what to expect and demonstrates behaviors. Also, seek out physicians who specialize in geriatrics. Hospices are also good places to get information.
The time when you could expect your doctor to provide you with all the information you need is passed. We all need to be our own case managers and researchers. It also helps to use the information you find to make a list of questions for your doctors. This often gets better information.

[kevinprovenzano]

Oh my Jesus yes…everything you said was spot on thank you for the validation.

[manicmaggie]

Going through all of this right now. Thanks for filling in the gaps.