Early stage memory loss and MCI lack of medical attention

I have been through this also, and I think what happens is the medical professionals see you and the family coping and getting by, and they figure they have patients with more urgent needs to attend to. I had to reach out to groups like Alzheimer's Association, Dept of Aging, read books, go online, join these forums, call Alzheimer's help line, go to seminars, attend caregiver support meetings, get pastoral counseling, etc. And I had to learn to accept that family members would "distance" gradually as they became uncomfortable seeing their loved one's personality and cognitive abilities change. It's a rough and rocky road, for sure.

I also found family to be great about stepping up and helping through the early stages. That helped a lot, I must say.

Yes…."See you in 6 months" is typical ! The reality is that there is nothing the medical professionals CAN do at the early stage.
My husband has been offered Donepezil ( Aricept) but considering his age (84) , the side effects, and the slim chance of slowing down the disease , we have declined.
In the meantime he has been put on blood pressure medication, sent for cardio tests and a sleep assessment.
Our Dementia Society ( Alzheimer’s Association) has already offered a Care Coach and support groups in person and online.
I’m sure I will be using these in the future.

Have you seen a neurologist who actually specializes in dementias? Most neurologists, as well as other physicians, do not. And, you may not be dealing with early Alzheimer’s at all; there are other dementias, such as Parkinson’s and Lewy bodies. A specialist may not be able to do anything more for you medically, but they can support you better than “See you in six months”. To date, there are no biological tests that can confirm dementias—only autopsy— though there are tests in development that will be available soon. But a skilled specialist can provide clinical assessments that can see past twice-yearly visits, especially if you provide detailed notes as his care-giver that detail what goes on the rest of the time. That said, friends and family often disregard what is happening, and that is tough—I know!!

Me,too! I understand everything you are saying, and share your thoughts and feelings. My husband is very capable with many things, but I see changes that the doctor never could. In my humble opinion, the testing needs revamping (and I don’t know how) to catch things they are not catching.

It is a tough road for sure. I turn 80 this year and my wife of 59 years is 80. My promise to keep her at home as long as possible still applies. My son (bachelor) lives in the basement suite and helps a ton. As a medical professional he knows the system is Canada is broken and we get no help. We have no family doctor and limited prescription renewals are done over the telephone by a clinic. I did turn to the Alzheimer Society last year and all they did we give me a lot of reading material. The clinic doctor simply said over the telephone there is nothing he could do. We struggle daily to keep things on an even keel. I hate to be a downer as I stay positive most days but it is a tough road to follow. Stay positive and trust in God and remember the character of God - patient, compassionate and forgiving. Prayer is wonderful when you get to bed (in your own room) you can talk to God and he really does listen and answer pleas for help. Cheers.

Your husband that the rolling problem:
1. Memory issues
2. Cognitive Impariment (sp?)
You are helping him for a “Medical World”?

Hey, I got the same places of problem on my brain… a short of my brain to not remember my past with my family or can’t remember when I was doing with other depts at my city or can’t remember to play my music that I could before..

Why? I had a bicycle accident one block close to my house. My accident changed my life and moved to TBI on my brain. I’m married, thankfully, and seeing your husband has most the same thing. What happened to him? Falling down, slipped down, accident, hit something in his head?

When I retired and was at home with my husband, I noticed changes in him. He didn't have the right words and made words up to suit his needs. He was less sociable and adverse to showering. I noted the changes and, with his permission, gave them to his primary care doctor. He gave him some memory tests, and referred him to the neurologist who gave him more memory tests and ordered an MRI, which showed deterioration in the brain, frontal lobe. He was also scheduled for a day of neuropsychological testing and the diagnosis was Alzheimer's Disease. That was five years ago.
My husband was anxious and somewhat compulsive. It took him a full day to get the garbage ready to put out in the morning. He couldn't throw magazines away. he had to cut them up in tiny pieces. The neurologist prescribed an anti-depressant, which he's been taking for years.
Now he's quite content at home and functions pretty well. I shower with him. He told me he didn't like showering alone because he didn't know what to do.
I've had to take over all tasks that require executive function - house maintenance, finances, etc. He doesn't drive anymore. When he couldn't draw 10 past eleven on a clock, the neurologist advised it was time for him to stop driving. My husband was relieved to let it go.
The neurologist lost interest in him, but we were referred to a geratrician in our HMO who is wonderful. She interviewed my husband for an hour, and then went over the planning and practical aspects of his care plan with me.
We caregivers all have to come to terms with the horrible reality of our loved ones' cognitive disorders. My suggestions are to do all you can in the early stages to plan for the future. I'm fortunate in that my husband has always been cooperative and happy to hand everything over to me. Try to keep him as active and as social as possible. Do things that you can enjoy together. My husband lately has taken to doing jigsaw puzzles on his own. He loves to be the passenger when I drive.
Memory is odd. My husband retains some instructions, but others just slip away, like water on a duck's back.
We have a whiteboard on the refrigerator. He writes the day of the week and date every morning. All pertinent instructions are written there as well - my mobile number, our landline, instructions for him not to leave the house when I'm out. It's working for now.
He spends a lot of time resting, and napping during the day, but still sleeps okay at night. He talks in his sleep, and it's my husband from 30 years ago speaking. I do still keep notes of his condition.
The geratrician told me that much of the patient's demeanor depends on the caregiver so I try to take things in stride and stay calm. I wish you the best. It isn't easy.

In my opinion i am just boring to them: Normal MRI, ATN test says Alzheimers pathology is on board, Neuropsych test says I'm average cognitively with mild neurocognitive disorder, genetics say i have one instance of APOE4 - putting me at highwr risk of developing Alzheimer’s dementia.

See you in a year

@rugbymom Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect! I see that you’ve already gotten some good answers. You’re at a difficult point in the journey of MCI. Read through some of the other discussions on MCI and see what others are doing to make the journey easier.
What specifically would you like the doctors to do to help?