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Introductions: Are you caring for someone with dementia?
Caregivers: Dementia | Last Active: Mar 17 6:30pm | Replies (762)Comment receiving replies
My wife has been diagnosed with vascular dementia. MRI shows little white spots in her brain in the short term memory area. She has a PFO (hole in her heart) that allows a bit of unfiltered blood to get to her brain. Aspirin and Warfarin have not helped stop the TIAs as we had hoped. Our doctor tells us that because those did not help, the surgery to close the hole in her heart is not likely to help the problem so he has referred us to a Neurologist. Short term forgetfulness is getting noticeably worse. Does Mayo have expertise that might help? We've used Mayo in Scottsdale, AZ in the past with great success.
Replies to "My wife has been diagnosed with vascular dementia. MRI shows little white spots in her brain..."
Hi @johncottingham I am sorry to read of your wife’s healthcare challenges. I am Scott and my mother-in-law had dementia and received her care at Mayo, although it was at their Rochester campus. From what I saw with my MIL, the dementia doctors at Mayo are truly world class! They have an incredible level of experience and understanding we saw nowhere else.
I wish you both the best and find Connect as helpful as I have. I hope you will feel comfortable asking any questions you might have!
Scott
Hi @johncottingham - I know this must be a scary time for both of you. My husband was diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment in 2015 - and a lot of his issues are based on vascular brain damage. Mayo has a program called Healthy Action to Benefit Independence & Thinking (HABIT) that was established to help people dealing with cognitive issues. If you are eligible, they run 10 day programs where both the patient and the partner attend to learn techniques for dealing with the cognitive decline. The program was a real god-send for me and my husband.
Here is the Connect Page dealing with the program:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/page/living-with-mild-cognitive-impairment-mci/newsfeed/what-is-habit-healthy-action-to-benefit-independence-thinking/
Has your wife had the neuro-psychological assessment? For us, that's the way we started our journey. That led to getting a diagnosis and being referred to the HABIT program. Wishing you and your wife all the best.
Connect
Hi, @johncottingham. Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. You'll notice I moved your message to this existing discussion, "Caring for omeone with dementia/Alzheimer's." I did this so that you can connect with other members in a similar situation to yours.
Click VIEW & REPLY in the email notification, and you will be able to read through the past messages by members like @mongerj @debbraw @dianajane @cathyb and others. I'd also like to introduce you to @IndianaScott.
With your wife's diagnosis of vascular dementia, short-term forgetfulness getting noticeably worse and being advised the surgery to correct the hole in her heart is unlikely to help the problem, I imagine you have many questions. I trust these other members will provide some insights.
Mayo Clinic does indeed have expertise in dementia. Here is some information on vascular dementia from Mayo Clinic https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/vascular-dementia/symptoms-causes/syc-20378793. If you go to the tab on Doctors & Departments, you will see some of the physicians who care for your wife's condition. If you are interested in requesting an appointment, please see this information http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63.
What would you say is your greatest concern presently about your wife's condition, @johncottingham?