Demand Help For Alzheimers and Dementia Early

My wife was diagnosed with PD in 2001, following a number of years of odd symptoms and behavior.

After a honeymoon period of relative normality from 2001 to 2004, in early 2005 she showed signs of dementia-like symptoms. These were reported and I was "fobbed off" by the professionals.

By late 2005 she was not very well at all with severe hallucinations and dementia symptoms but again we were fobbed off at the neurologist visit in December 2005. The mere mention of dementia by me provoked a severe admonishing stare of disapproval and I was not encouraged to expand.

In mid 2006 she refused medication for a week and ended up in a secure unit for 3 months with psychosis. During this period "secondary dementia" associated with PD was diagnosed.

She came home in October 2006, seemingly improved, but declined again rapidly with wandering, hallucinations, a decline in personal hygiene to the point of incontinence, violence, abuse and a complete loss of personality and reason.

A brave NHS social worker from an agency advocated her case for permanent care. She has been in care since May 2007.

My advice is: demand help early. It's all about money not patient welfare. So many times I was fobbed off but I knew the truth. The closest caregiver knows when dementia appears and should be taken notice of.

The caregiver, the person most likely to welcome denial by the professionals, should be the primary patient for examination, rather than the patient who so often with straight PD cannot speak very well, so the information is devalued or ignored.