suspect my mother may have lewy body dementia

[1m0gen26]

what's the best route to get help if I suspect my mother has early stages of lewy body dementia? She is having auditory and visual hallucinations - usually about her neighbours but also more recently about ufo's. The issue is that she . does not think there is anything amiss with her; in her mind it's them arguing night and day, having all night parties etc - and I am just hard of hearing)

[Bananas5]

Sad for you and your Mum. GP first port of call.

Link will tell you all about disease. Hope it helps

x

lINK WILL TEELL YOU ALL ABOUT THE DISEASE...HOPE IT HELPS

X

mayoclinic.org/diseases-con...

[1m0gen26 in reply to Bananas5]

thank you for the very helpful link and your support with this.

[MAS_Nurse]

Hello 1m0gen26,

Welcome to our supportive community! I'm sorry to hear that your mum may have early stage Lewy bodies dementia, which is usually associated with Parkinson's Disease. You don't say which part of the world you live in so I will give you links to both UK and USA websites for more information.

In the first instance, wherever you live, your first port of call would be see her doctor/GP for an initial assessment, and for him/her to refer your mum to specialist neurologist in Parkinson's Disease for tests and diagnoses of PD dementia. Here is the Parkinson's UK information:parkinsons.org.uk/informati...

"A specialist will make a diagnosis based on the patient's symptoms, their medical history and the results of a medical examination. There is no specific blood test for this condition, but tests of memory and thinking will help confirm what the problem is. The specialist may also talk to the person's spouse or family members to find out how much of an impact issues such as memory difficulties are having on the person's day-to-day life. It is important that other problems, such as severe depression, are excluded before the diagnosis of Parkinson's dementia can be considered."

Here's a link to the US site:

parkinson.org/blog/caregive...

Both is the US and UK these national charities, which provide up-to-date evidence based information, can link you to support and the help you need. Hope this helps.

I know you find folks on here are very understanding and supportive, and will share their experiences of caring for a loved one like your mum. Keep reaching out to us, but you also need professional medical advice.

Best wishes.

[1m0gen26 in reply to MAS_Nurse]

thank you so much - I am uk based so will follow up there. I am not sure what to say to my mother when visiting the GP as she does not acknowledge that anything is wrong with her. But hopefully the organisations you mention can help with that aspect. Interestingly my mum has had a significant hand tremor for many years and I hadn't associated this with Lewy body dementia but maybe it is connected.

[sassy59]

Hi 1m0gen26, my mother in law has Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia plus also hand tremor. As per replies, do see the GP.

I hope you get a definitive diagnosis very soon and help for your dear mum. Take care. Xxxx

[1m0gen26 in reply to sassy59]

thanks again, for the info and kindness. I have called the GP surgery and am fixing an appointment to talk it through with them first. x