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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Very little a doctor can do. Current meds make little or no difference. [/quote]
That’s not true.There are medications that treat symptoms of most dementias other than vascular and FTD. There is a new medication that slows progression https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/treatments/lecanemab-leqembi already approved, and LLY has two more getting close to approval that are probably going to be even better.

And there are lifestyle interventions that can be very helpful as well. Nevertheless, OP just needs to focus on what (if anything) is going on. Then her family can deal with facts.[/quote]

The new medication lecanemab is $26,000 a year, the benefits are minimal and might not even be clinically significant in women at all. There is also a risk of brain bleeds and there is concerned about other side effects including brain shrinkage that scientist really aren't sure what the long term effects will be.

One of the test used in the study is the Clinical Dementia Rating Scale which assesses cognitive and functional performance in six areas: memory, orientation, judgment and problem solving, community affairs, home and hobbies, and personal care.  Scores range from 0 meaning no dementia to 18 meaning the most significant dementia. Low scores are better. Over the clinical trial the Mean change of CDR-SB from baseline at 18 months was 1.21 for the lecanemab group and 1.66 for the placebo groups. Both groups declined and the decline among both groups was much larger than the difference between the groups. The difference wasn't even half a point. 
 0 = no dementia/normal
 0.5 – 4.0 = questionable
 0.5 – 2.0 = questionable impairment 
 2.5 – 4.0 = very mild dementia
4.5 – 9.0 = mild dementia
9.5 – 15.5 = moderate dementia 
 16.0 – 18.0 = severe dementia

Is that worth not just $26,000 a year but the time caregivers are going to have to dedicate to take their loved one every other week for an infusion the takes an hour. So the caregiver has to pick up their loved one if they aren't living with them and make sure they are ready/help them get ready, drive over to where they can get the infusion, check in and have the elderly patient check in, get the one hour infusion and drive back. All that can take half a day. There are cheaper generic pills that are almost as good. And good is relative because there really aren't any good treatments.

The other issue is that for all of this minimal improvement the person with dementia/alzheimers might have their lives extended. In one study about a dementia drug called donzepil those taking the drug lived about 2 1/2 years longer than people not on the medication. I absolutely do not want to live 2 1/2 years longer if I had dementia and as a caretaker for my mother who has dementia- I don't want her to suffer for 2 1/2 more years and I certainly do not want the stress of caregiving to last 2 1/2 years longer. 
[/quote]

You are cherry picking and not current . It’ is  covered by medicaid and Medicare. It slows progression by 26% and multiple better drugs are nearing approval. There are lifestyle interventions.  But this is a derailment. The point is for OP or others in her situation, don’t panic, seek competent evaluations and proceed from there. [/quote]

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