What is the point of seeing a neuropsychologist?

Hello to all,
This conversation is so valuable! I have been the wife who thought we needed more help, more direction, and yearly updates. But you know, the truth has been that the tests show very little. One test 3 years ago stated MCI and marriage counseling. She disregarded all my concerns stating they are not valid. Boy did that put me in a tailspin! I no longer trusted what i was observing in our lives. But today i understand that the tests just can’t see into our lives. My husband’s memory is much worse today (first diagnosis was 15 years ago). I was that frog in the pot because no one else was seeing him like i did for about 6 years. That was very crazy making! Today I'm out of the pot. Im trying hard to not react, just love and care for him.
Oh and no i have no support from friends or family outside of a “how are you doing”? Which is kind, but no concrete assistance is really not needed yet. When that time comes i pray ill be able to have some drop in care occasionally.
Be strong but gentle with yourselves. This disease has no rules .

I admire your courage in sharing that scary information. Serial neuropshyc evaluations certainly are going to be helpful in your evaluation and follow-up. My wife had neuropsychological testing 7 years ago, which was consistent with MCI and only had one followup evaluation which confirmed the diagnosis and revealed no progression (but was only 6 months later). In those 7 years I have seen her transition to what I might describe as late MCI vs early dementia. Interestingly, her MMSE (mini mental status examination) which is used as a "rough" screen for dementia, has remained near normal all this time. All cognitive impairment is not the same.

Thank you. It sounds as if your wife is experiencing a measured pace of progression. I wish for her a long period of knowing your love for her, and experiencing joy.

Oh - I agree with many things in this post.

My husband’s test was an awful experience for him. It was about five years ago and he is still upset, angry, defensive, and in denial about the test and the findings. The test results were consistent with MCI and the doc included the D word in his report.

I had hoped that hearing the results from a third-pary professional would cause my husband to admit that he has a brain problem, but that did not happen. He has no problem remembering the test - but he has either forgotten or buried the assessment.

We left the follow up assessment and he refused to discuss it further.

I bring it up from time to time and it only invokes anger and hurt feelings.

For me - it comfirmed what I was seeing, but that may be selfishness on my part, as it allows me to somewhat distance myself from him and think of myself as a caregiver and not a partner. I may be less supportive now, if that makes sense.

One positive-
I then also had a document that I could share with his family and to doctors.

Every situation is different- so true- but my advice is to proceed with caution. Assess your needs, wants, and what you would do with the results.

And- if the person has any problems with taking such tests- they will not like the two plus hours for this one. My husband has dyslexia and ADD and has never done well with tests that require writing and time. On the rare occasions that we discuss this test - and others- the results are their the doctors and experts’ faults and not his performance.
He always has an excuse ready for his performance.

I could go on and on, but my thanks go out to you and to everyone for sharing and caring. Good luck and know that others relate to you.

My husband has 2 neuropsychologists, neither of which feel he needs the 3 hour evaluation. He has had several MOCA and Mini Mentals and we know he lacks executive function, spacial recognition, sequencing and time orientation. He is progressing.
We do our best managing sleep, keeping him social, working with a personal trainer for fitness and a healthy diet. He is on several supplements all prescribed by an MD. His team consists of his PCP, two neuropsychologists, and a geriatrician specializing in dementia.
He was diagnosed with MCI in March 2023. Two years later I would say it’s moderate.
Every day has moments of clarity in which we can connect and have fun and moments that scare me with his confusion.
He has no conception of time. No more clock tests. That’s over.
He is working with a speech therapist on cognitive games and activities of daily living like doing laundry and cooking his eggs etc.
I have no idea where this came from.
My husband is a retired dentist -
Mercury? Reynauds for years,
Stress?
Physically he has always been fit and healthy.
He doesn’t have the gene for Alzheimer’s
Sometimes I wonder if we should include a neurologist to get a PET. Scan and Tau blood test and then his docs say “ what for? “ it’s going to progress and you are doing everything you can to keep life and him stable.
My biggest task now is to take care of myself.
I’m exhausted.
We have a new caregiver/companion/driver starting for him this week to give me a break from the three cameras and all.
All of you take care.

My wife complained of memory loss for a couple of years before I could actually observe any (subtle) loss. She was more than willing to undergo neuropsych testing and a follow up test. And she has remained very aware of her memory loss. She "knows" it will progress. She has significant loss of executive function. She has significant deja vu. She can still drive a car and goes to her beauty salon once a month (it is within a mile of home and involves only a couple of turns). But where we used to live (in a remote area in the mountains) she occasionally got lost driving. So she has probably had some symptoms for almost 10 years. Perhaps repeat neuropsych testing would change her diagnosis from MCI to actual dementia, but with no good treatment options available, it seems pointless. She avoids using the word "dementia" and I do as well. She has been depressed for decades (long preceding MCI) and is very poorly motivated to exercise and/or socialize. She spends her days working crossword puzzles and doing sudoku (I think she cheats in some ways, but she believes it helps keep her brain 'sharp'). The biggest challenge for me is dealing with her emotional outbursts and occasional delusional rants. Most of the time she is calm, though. The relationship has always been somewhat strained, and this makes it worse frequently.