I just left my mom's apartment where she lives alone. I told her I was frying her some fish for dinner. After the fish was done I said to her, "you may want a bit more salt on yours. I'm trying to cook with less salt these days."
She then said she wasn't really hungry.
I ate a piece and repeated, "you'll definitely want to add salt to yours."
I stayed with her about an hour and a half, then prepared to leave for home.
I asked her if she wanted me to put the fish in the refrigerator and she replied, "I thought you were going to cook it?"
This isn't the first time she's forgotten something or asked me things twice, but this really startled me. My husband said it could be the strong pain medicine she takes that is making her forgetful. She's 86 and except for severe arthritis, all of her tests come back fine. Her long term memory is great.
Am I right to worry? I hate to bring it to the attention of the doctors, because I don't want to alert them and risk her perhaps getting on their radar since the apartment is affiliated with the healthcare company which oversees her care.
Dad has not been diagnosed with dementia and is a participant in ongoing memory and cognition studies for post stroke patients through a local university. His long term memory is perfect, but sometimes he gets words mixed up, like tomorrow and yesterday.
My former mil has been getting more and more paranoid, but again has not been diagnosed with dementia. When I was still married to her son, I would report her behaviour via a letter to the family doctor. She sees the doctor every 3 months to have the Rx renewed, but he does not know what happens when she is not there, or what she does not tell him.
She could get relief with less mental issues, but only if the doctor knows it's to much.
Let us know how it works out.