My dad's memory has been deteriorating over the past couple of years and he finds it difficult to work out the correct sequence of actions when faced with anything other than a straightforward task. He used to do the cryptic crosswords, but has now given them up and struggles to find places on the road map, let alone follow a route...
Last year I took him to see a very unhelpful GP, who carried out a very simplistic test for Alzheimers/dementia (e.g. repeat these three things after me, count backwards from 100) - simple tasks, so dad was fine!
Since then he has deteriorated further. Three months ago, mum took him back to see a different GP, who organised a home visit from the mental health team nurse. She did several more substantial memory and other tests and concluded that he definitely has memory and other problems that need investigating. Dad has now had a series of blood tests, a brain CAT scan and an ECG and has been referred to see a psychiatrist to discuss the results!
Is it normal to be referred to a psychiatrist for memory loss/ confusion problems? Obviously if this is the onset of Alzheimers/dementia, we would like a quick diagnosis so that dad can start any appropriate medication as soon as possible.
Any advice? Thanks...
Isolation