Results of his Testing

So we went to the cognitive neurologist today for the results for the MRI and SPECT scan

It is either Alzheimer's or frontal temporal dementia - three parts of his brain have atrophied, and do not have good blood flow. 

Test to confirm Alzheimer's is $1500 US (we are in Canada), so we won't be doing that, but the doctor is leaning heavily towards frontal temporal dementia anyhow. 

Rob wants to take the functional driving test to get his driver's license back ($850) so he can go back to work (he drives for a living), but both doctors said he would not pass.

He is having trouble maintaining focus and understanding instructions. He has lost his spatial acuity, he decided to set up a ladder the other day to wash the windows outside, and no matter how many times we told him the ladder was crooked, he would adjust it wrong, and could not see what we were seeing.

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Conversations with Rob

Rob: Where's the relish?? Did you forget to buy some? Me: Yes, I bought a bottle, is it not in the fridge? Rob: No, I looked and it's not! Me: Not in the pantry? Rob: No, it's not there! Me: Well, I am sure I bought one. Soon the whole family is hunting everywhere for the relish. So strange, where could it have gone?? Well, I found the relish. It was on the counter, right next to his hotdogs - where HE put it, right before sending us all hunting for the relish!

All About Rob

You asked me to let you know what you need to watch for with Rob. I really do not like to talk about him, when he is listening. He gets upset, and then I have to deal with his anger. I prefer to keep him happy as much as possible, That can be a full-time job in itself. Since he will be in a familiar place, he will probably be just fine. Changes in his routine can get him agitated, but most of the time he is pretty good. Most of the time he is quite jolly, can be the "life of the party", which is not who he used to be! LOL If he does get agitated, he might simply refuse to talk to anyone. I have learned to ignore him when he gets like that, and he usually gets over it. Other times, he has suddenly stormed out of the house and taken off. Fortunately I have a Life360 app on my phone, that I can track him, and know where he is. I usually just let him come home when he is ready. Sometimes, if he gets frustrated about being unable to figure out how to do something he used to be a...

More June Updates

We had a ton of logs and kindling piled up over the years that Rob had cut up, from fallen branches and dead trees. I decided to offer it for free on a FB Free Stuff site and told Rob that my son and I had moved the logs and kindling out to the driveaway to make it easier for people to pick up. It took 4 people with cars, and another with a pickup truck to haul it all away! Rob was convinced someone was going to walk up our driveway with a match and set it all on fire.

Rob's Dementia Journey with FTD

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