As your elderly family member ages, she may become more and more concerned about how well her memory is working. In some cases, she may have good reason to fear that she's developing dementia or other cognitive illnesses. What can help is to get some solid information that you and her medical team can use to accurately diagnose what's going on.
Make Note of What Changes You're Seeing
What are you noticing that makes you wonder about memory problems? Is there something specific that your senior is doing or not doing that is different? It's really important that you get detailed about what you're seeing. Start keeping a journal that allows you to log what is happening. Include your senior's observations, too. It's very possible that she's seeing behaviors in herself that she's unsure about.
Think about What Else Is Happening in Her Life
Nothing happens in a vacuum, especially when you're talking about your senior's health. Look closely at what else is going on with her. Has she been eating foods that aren't as healthy for her or perhaps drinking less water? These variables can affect her ability to think clearly and to form and access memories. If she's changed medications or experienced a downturn with a chronic health issue, that can also have an impact.
What Are Other People Mentioning?
When other people interact with your senior, what do they have to say? If you're working with senior care providers, they can offer you tons of valuable information about interactions they've had with your aging family member. Take that information and add it to what you already know about what your elderly family member is experiencing.
Take the Information to Her Doctor
After you've got your information collected, it's time to take it to your family member's doctor. Her doctor can correlate the information you've got with a variety of test results. This is going to give all of you a full picture of what is happening with your senior's brain, her memory, and her ability to continue to function in the way that she wants to. From there, you'll have a plan that you can put into action.
It never hurts to simply take stock of what is happening with your elderly family member. You'll be able to get a baseline for what she's thinking and feeling, which means you'll have something to compare future information to. Just asking the questions doesn't mean that your senior is dealing with a huge new problem; it simply means you're looking for answers.
IF YOU OR AN AGING LOVED ONE ARE CONSIDERING SENIOR CARE IN WESTCHESTER, IL, PLEASE CONTACT THE CARING STAFF AT BRIGHTSTAR CARE LA GRANGE. CALL TODAY: 708-551-2500.
Make Note of What Changes You're Seeing
What are you noticing that makes you wonder about memory problems? Is there something specific that your senior is doing or not doing that is different? It's really important that you get detailed about what you're seeing. Start keeping a journal that allows you to log what is happening. Include your senior's observations, too. It's very possible that she's seeing behaviors in herself that she's unsure about.
Think about What Else Is Happening in Her Life
Nothing happens in a vacuum, especially when you're talking about your senior's health. Look closely at what else is going on with her. Has she been eating foods that aren't as healthy for her or perhaps drinking less water? These variables can affect her ability to think clearly and to form and access memories. If she's changed medications or experienced a downturn with a chronic health issue, that can also have an impact.
What Are Other People Mentioning?
When other people interact with your senior, what do they have to say? If you're working with senior care providers, they can offer you tons of valuable information about interactions they've had with your aging family member. Take that information and add it to what you already know about what your elderly family member is experiencing.Take the Information to Her Doctor
After you've got your information collected, it's time to take it to your family member's doctor. Her doctor can correlate the information you've got with a variety of test results. This is going to give all of you a full picture of what is happening with your senior's brain, her memory, and her ability to continue to function in the way that she wants to. From there, you'll have a plan that you can put into action.
It never hurts to simply take stock of what is happening with your elderly family member. You'll be able to get a baseline for what she's thinking and feeling, which means you'll have something to compare future information to. Just asking the questions doesn't mean that your senior is dealing with a huge new problem; it simply means you're looking for answers.
IF YOU OR AN AGING LOVED ONE ARE CONSIDERING SENIOR CARE IN WESTCHESTER, IL, PLEASE CONTACT THE CARING STAFF AT BRIGHTSTAR CARE LA GRANGE. CALL TODAY: 708-551-2500.