Dementia can, but it also makes a person lose their inhibitions and executive functioning. My very proper, always-figure-conscious MIL stood in front of the desk at her hairdresser’s and ate one Hershey Kiss after another after another from a little candy bowl while I was paying the bill. I was shocked.
So, she could have dementia and the symptoms of dementia could lead to her abusing drugs again.
In other words, it could be both.
It could definitely be both. My mom has dementia and she has literally never drank more than half a glass of wine per day her entire life. Recently we realized that she is over drinking (because she forgets that she already had a drink) to the point where she becomes disoriented. Your mom might be unintentionally overusing her medication
We didn't realize it was dementia for awhile because we assumed it was edibles. Staring off in to outer space, unable to hold conversation, unable to work a cell phone. Turned out he hadn't been to the dispensary in a year or two, it was the dementia.
Dementia does make you slur words and fall, yes. The whole brain is losing mass and it can do a wide range of odd things. Some patients become very restless and feels he need to pace all day, others become lethargic. It varies a lot from person to person and with different kinds of dementia.
It is pretty rare for slurred speech to develop from common dementias such as Alzheimer's disease. Gait changes are also pretty rare in most common dementias except LBD.
My grandma had both, but we never had her precise type diagnosed. We just knew it early onset, not alzheimer's, and the doctor's theorized her prior heroine abuse was a factor in her disease presentation. Which I've never been able to find info about those being related online, but my retail worker self wasn't going to argue with a neurologist back then.
Slurred speech would not be expected with dementia, especially not an early stage in which a patient is still able to drive away and leave the state successfully.
80+-Year-Olds can have gait troubles simply because of orthopedic issues and arthritis. However, again, dementia, especially at an early stage would not be expected to have a gait change.
There are rare neurological diseases at her age that can cause slurred speech and falls such as progressive supranuclear palsy or ALS. Is she open to seeing a neurologist?
My sister took her to a memory specialist and they said that is something was present it was very early stages. But I am unclear if that was a neurologist.
Dementia can, but it also makes a person lose their inhibitions and executive functioning. My very proper, always-figure-conscious MIL stood in front of the desk at her hairdresser’s and ate one Hershey Kiss after another after another from a little candy bowl while I was paying the bill. I was shocked. So, she could have dementia and the symptoms of dementia could lead to her abusing drugs again. In other words, it could be both.
It could definitely be both. My mom has dementia and she has literally never drank more than half a glass of wine per day her entire life. Recently we realized that she is over drinking (because she forgets that she already had a drink) to the point where she becomes disoriented. Your mom might be unintentionally overusing her medication
We didn't realize it was dementia for awhile because we assumed it was edibles. Staring off in to outer space, unable to hold conversation, unable to work a cell phone. Turned out he hadn't been to the dispensary in a year or two, it was the dementia.
Ask her to take a urine drug screen. You can get them from the pharmacy.
Really? I didn't know you could get them from the pharmacy. Ones that will detect opiods too?
Yes, maybe not one JUST for opiates, but I think the 4 panel tests for marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamines and opiates.
Dementia does make you slur words and fall, yes. The whole brain is losing mass and it can do a wide range of odd things. Some patients become very restless and feels he need to pace all day, others become lethargic. It varies a lot from person to person and with different kinds of dementia.
It is pretty rare for slurred speech to develop from common dementias such as Alzheimer's disease. Gait changes are also pretty rare in most common dementias except LBD.
My grandma had both, but we never had her precise type diagnosed. We just knew it early onset, not alzheimer's, and the doctor's theorized her prior heroine abuse was a factor in her disease presentation. Which I've never been able to find info about those being related online, but my retail worker self wasn't going to argue with a neurologist back then.
I'm genuinely curious why someone would vote this question down?
Slurred speech would not be expected with dementia, especially not an early stage in which a patient is still able to drive away and leave the state successfully. 80+-Year-Olds can have gait troubles simply because of orthopedic issues and arthritis. However, again, dementia, especially at an early stage would not be expected to have a gait change. There are rare neurological diseases at her age that can cause slurred speech and falls such as progressive supranuclear palsy or ALS. Is she open to seeing a neurologist?
My sister took her to a memory specialist and they said that is something was present it was very early stages. But I am unclear if that was a neurologist.