What is the best way to tell if its from depression or alzheimers or medications.
Has anyone gone through this with a family member and is there any clear cut signs to know the difference
10
✅ Answers
? Favorite Answer
You can’t. You need to take the person to a doctor so that a real diagnosis can be made. If the person is on multiple medications, you can take a list to the pharmacy and ask if any of them used together could cause confusion. Especially if there are bottles from more than one pharmacy. A good pharmacist will catch drugs that shouldn’t be used together, doctors don’t always. And if the person has more than one doctor, each one may be prescribing different medications that don’t work well together. And if they come from different pharmacies, there is no one to catch a potentially bad combination of drugs.
Source(s): Former CVT
If the confusion has suddenly become worse or new symptoms have suddenly appeared, then the person’s doctor should be contacted immediately. If the person is confused because of a chronic condition, then figuring out what is causing confusion may take a physician who will spend the time assessing the person, and who will make referrals to specialists when needed. Sometimes the cause is identified quickly, but often it takes persistence, attention to detail, and caregivers who will advocate for the person. There could be a single cause of the confusion, but there could also be a combination of causes.
Here are some ideas that you can try that may help a doctor figure out what is going on:
Help the older person keep a health journal (3 ring binder, pocket file folders, etc.): keep a list of all medications-dosages-when taken. List all the doctors that the person sees with contact information. Keep copies of all test results. Write down any symptoms and note when those symptoms happen (date, time). Write down any complaints of pain or discomfort. Write down how well the person is eating or drinking.
It might help to make a ‘consultation’ type appointment with the person’s doctor. Come with a list of questions and concerns, and bring along the health journal.
You may not get a precise answer about whether the confusion is caused by dementia, medications, or depression. Expect some trial and error types of advice from the doctor; because unless something sudden has happened (like a stroke or an infection), it isn’t always easy to determine which problem is causing the confusion.
My heart goes out to you and your family.
Source(s): Dementia: Info and Advice for Caregivers
American Academy of Family Physicians
http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/senio…
Communicating with Your Doctor, Part I
Family Caregiver Alliance
http://www.caregiver.org/caregiver/jsp/content_nod…
Improving Doctor/Caregiver Communications
PDF file from the
National Caregivers Association
http://www.nfcacares.org/pdfs/DrCaregvr.pdf
There can be many reasons for confusion but only a blood screening can help to isolate and identify
the cause in many cases. Often it’s lacking vitamins and minerals that we are strongly lacking. And
there can be an imbalance with blood sugar that causes mental problems. Unless the blood
screening takes place, doctors can only guess at the root of the problems. Hopefully you or the
person you refer to, can see a doctor before the holidays and something can be done to identify the
cause. Especially if this condition is sudden and long lasting.
Make a chart of when confusion appears. IE, after meds, new situations etc. Then GO to the MD. He/she is the only one qualified to diagnose. Still you have to do the leg work and give him clues as to why this may be happening. There are a few tests that can help but nothing that can be done at home.
With testing and asking the right questions. You need a Dr.. Not a Senior.
Diagnosis of depression is difficult. Memory problems from drugs, possible.
Alzheimer’s can only be precisely diagnosed postmortem.
Am going through this now. With three sisters, one is my wife.
One sister has passed to the other side, did not know who she was when she passed, yet
senile dementia was diagnosis, we did not autopsy to determine of Alzheimer’s.
One sister, has senile dementia now, but does still recognize us thus far.
My wife, the youngest of the sisters, seems top have early onset dementia. Because of her memory problems she can not perform some of the task she formerly could. Seems I lose a bit of her daily.
If one is under continued and difficult stress this seems to lead to memory loss.
****************************************************************
See physicians by all means. All situations are different.
****************************************************************
Sorry for your problem……….
peace and love—-
Source(s): living the situation for 5 years now
You really need a medical professional to diagnose. You should also add urinary tract infection to the list of possible causes.
Half the time the people around you are enough to foul a plug in your nog’n.
Take them to the doctor. This is not the kind of thing that you can diagnose at home.
We have been fortunate but I assume any questions can be answered by their physician.