Is it MCI or Dementia?

Thank you and that is understandable. 😊 Will @jeanadair123 be notified of your post to me? I am assuming she will be.

Studies indicate there is a significant correlation between untreated hearing loss and dementia. The sooner an older adult gets hearing aids the better. Unfortunately many ignore the slow progression of hearing loss and are in denial.

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Thank you!

Your message is one of thoughts I have also. Husband is 80 and I am 73. He is the love of my life and over last year he was suddenly not the same. After a year of testing he was diagnosed with moderate dementia and then tongue cancer. He has had surgery and recovered very well but the dementia level changes daily. He realizes, sometimes, what is happening but even when he doesn’t he will tell me how much he loves me and he thanks me for all I do for him. There is a deepening of our love now that we are faced with the urgency of time remaining. We have found going through old pictures of us helps bring joy and memories back to us both and brush some of the sadness away. God bless us all for this living tragedy.

My husband doesn’t use his hearing aids either his answer is I hear fine. 😩 so sorry to hear about your hubby, I hope he recovered well. He has never been diagnosed when we go to the doctors he appears to be fine Dr doesn’t see what I see and since he only gives us 10 mins or less for a wellness check he won’t. We are in the process of changing drs I put it off because of our age but I keep track of all our tests etc I don’t think it will make a difference especially since we both have had cancer 3 times. Boppi what state are you in?

Louisiana. We fight over the hearing aides and glasses all the time but I have found it is partly because he forgets them. He also was uncomfortable with hearing aides and type glasses so we changed both and he is doing much better. It wasn’t until he failed the wellness test for cognition that we started getting help. Did PCP even do a cognitive wellness check? Insist on one, it is very easy and short in regular office visit.

Dear Tay 1, As you read the posts, I am sure that you have discovered that each of us has a slightly different perspective on dementia. It sometimes takes the doctor more time to understand what you see intimately on a daily basis.
My husband was able, for a long time, to mask his memory issues with a pleasant personality. It will take persistence on your part to get a proper diagnosis. I have often felt like a medical detective. -- Everything your SO complains about may be true. As for his back and neuropathy, it is not unreasonable that his complaints are warranted at his age. As a caregiver and someone who has both, I know they are debilitating and make it difficult always to put on a sunny face. -- Learning patience is easier said than done, but it is like all other behaviors; the more we try, the better we become. Do not forget you are only human. Do not forget to keep what portion of the day works for your situation for your own welfare. -- An example from our 94 and 86 year old lives that still mystifies. At our age, we are babies of the Atomic Age, and my husband showed an interest in watching Oppenheimer. I gave him a five-minute mini-seminar and stopped the movie periodically if the plot became complicated. Even if my boy did not get everything, he enjoyed it. Better yet, we enjoyed it together. Yet, he could not remember where the dishwasher was to put away dishes as he stood in front of it, which required our "no, your left, not your right" conversation-- Your SO has no more control over his diminishment than any of our loved ones have. If only there were a patience pill, some Pharm Co would make a fortune. GloRo

Same here, my girlfriend suggested I put the hearing aids on the table at breakfast. I remembered one day and in the evening when we watched the tv he said it was too loud. Almost hysterical since I have been listening to it loud for years. He has an appointment in a couple of weeks I will mention it to the doctor. He does realize he cannot remember where everything is sometimes but he does not associate it with mcl. I have not pushed it because he already feels bad that he does not remember which doesn’t happen all the time.
We have him on his schedule, still showers, teeth, dishes, garbage etc on his own. I can go for a walk and he is okay which makes me think he is still at the beginning. I think I have been in denial also because when I think about it I noticed the odd think back in 2019. Not enough to consider mcl. Thanks for your input. It’s nice to discuss this with someone going through the same thing.

My husband & I have been married for 57 years - we were high school sweethearts!! He also has similar problems except that he has been diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia - (which means in addition to memory problems, he "sees things, people, animals that are very real to him_ --- like your husband, - this has been coming on for several years - (since we both had Covid Feb 2020 - we both think it was brought on by Covid but Drs just ignore our idea - Feb 2020 was before testing - before shutdown - before we, the public, knew much about Covid!)
The memory issue was the first thing I & our daughter & son noticed - all of sudden, he couldn't remember how to play cards (500 - & Rook card games -- & he was a good card player) He had trouble golfing, then his eye sight was bad - he had to have surgery for Stramisbus (lazy eye) - he couldn't drive as he was seeing double! His hearing in right ear has always been poor, we've had 3 different hearing aids (all more costly than the last) but his hearing just kept getting worse -(which also contributes to Dementia because it cuts off information brought into the brain by hearing) --- we've finally been able to find a neurologist through Mayo clinic in Rochester, MN who prescribed a PET scan, which confirmed the diagnosis of Lewy Body Dementia. (Hard diagnosis as Drs/research still don't know what caused it or how to stop the progression)
However, there has been some hope - Dr Botha (Mayo Clinic Neurologist) affirms that HEALTHY DIET (Mediterranean Diet with emphasis on GREENS, FISH, CHICKEN, NUTS) EXERCISE - (to make your heart work - weights, balance, walking 1/2 hr/day), WATER HYDRATION, & STAYING SOCIAL will do the most to combat the progression. (having said that - my husband argues that exercise can be vacuuming, lawn chores, etc. -- but Dr Botha suggested he think of Diet, Exercise, Hydration, Socialization are prescriptions - drugs, that will help slow the progression. (My husband takes Aircept, which is a Dementia drug that is supposed to make hallucinations less bothersome (?) - he's been on High Blood Pressure meds for years, & he takes potassium, & daily Vitamin.) He also have been approved for a Cochlear Implant in right ear - the Surgeon (Mayo Clinic) assures us that any help the brain can get to bring information into the brain, will be advantageous!!)

I too, run the gamut of patience, frustration & then angry outbursts at my husband, or at the whole diagnosis. (I have bouts where I'm angry at God for not taking this away - my husband has been a patient, Jesus trusting believer his whole life -- so I question why God doesn't take this away. But I too, Believe Jesus died for me & I hold on to that fact when I am angry!!) ( and of course the people in Ukraine, Russia, Israel, Gaza, & many countries across the world, suffer much more than we do!!)
We rec'd the March 2024 AARP Bulletin - "THE FUTURE OF ALZHEIMER'S" -- that too, gives us hope! If you haven't read it - get a copy - it helps to know "they" are finding ways to combat Dementia/Alzheimer's - and the myriad of diseases that can cause it!