Americans Discovering Their Parent’s Dementia Over the Holidays

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A recent report has revealed that thousands of Americans are likely to first recognize signs of their parents’ dementia while visiting with them during the holidays.

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“Shortly after arriving home from the airport, an estimated tens of thousands of adults will invariably witness one or both parents forget something that just happened, misremember details of their lives that have been discussed hundreds of times before, or momentarily lose track of what they were doing right in the middle of an action,” lead author Dr. Tim Belarde wrote in the report.

Furthermore, the report identified that 80 percent will witness their parents record inaccurate information on a calendar, 65 percent will experience their mothers reference an event from childhood that never occurred, and half will witness their father confusing siblings’ names.

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“For the remainder of their vacations, these Americans will spend hours carefully observing their parents for further signs of mental decline and then convince themselves that any brain lapses were anomalies due to the stress of the holidays, ultimately leaving with dozens of unsettling memories they will repress in an effort to deny the inevitable.”

(Related: Late-Stage Alzheimer’s and What to Expect)

Sources reported that an estimated 40,000 mothers (at press time) had recently asked their children to send their flight itineraries for the fourth time.

Read more: http://www.theonion.com/articles/thousands-of-americans-to-notice-first-signs-of-de,34828/

Christopher J. Berry is a Michigan Alzheimer’s Planning planning lawyer and Medicaid planning attorney dedicated to helping seniors, veterans and their families navigate the long-term care maze. To learn more visit http://www.theeldercarefirm.com/ or call 248.481.4000

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