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My siblings don't want our 84 year old mother tested for dementia.
Caregivers: Dementia | Last Active: Jan 10 9:59am | Replies (26)Comment receiving replies
What is "OT" (occupational therapy?). Hardly the right provider to make that diagnosis (though it might be accurate anyway). Are you her primary caregiver (or support person)? If so, you are in a much better position to know your mother's cognitive limitations. Are you her Healthcare POA? One of the early signs of dementia is loss of executive function (the ability to plan, organize or perform more complex functions, and lack of insight). Although a definitive diagnosis is useful and (mostly) desirable, we have very little in the way of proven treatments, mostly to slow the progression, but with significant side effects also.
If your siblings are only peripherally (if anything) involved in her care, they are likely denying what you already know. Further testing to include neuropsychological testing and brain imaging (to rule out other conditions) are usually done. A PET scan (very expensive and not as widely available) can see more markers of certain kinds of dementia). Good luck.
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@wctdoc1943 Actually the OT department did very thorough sets of testing for her cognitive abilities. It was explained to me that their clinical diagnosis can determine that there is an impairment, however her doctor needs to make a medical diagnosis to discover WHY there is an impairment.
All three of us siblings live nearby, and my sister is actually with her the most. She is the oldest, and first up to make decisions for her. She will be her health POA whenever she decides to take that over.
As a teacher, I am very much aware of executive functioning and impairments, and am reading reports often enough to understand the contents at a deeper level than my siblings. Having my own disabled child, I am also literate in specialist jargon! They are stating that I am exaggerating, and the OT's tests were not accurate. They have convinced her primary care doctor that she is better functioning than she is, and talked the primary care doctor into signing off on her retaining her driver's license (that the OT recommended pulling). Scary.