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NightOwl Asked March 2018

Has your loved one repeated Neuro Psych testing? Is it typical to re-test?

After getting a diagnosis of DLB and VD following an exhaustive text book list of testing and going thru 7 doctors we are now at the point of possibly repeating the neuro psycch exam for mom. Has anyone had more than one neuro psych exam, the one that lasts about 8 hrs? Is this typical to repeat the test within months of the last exam? Mom has improved and is arguing her case well. The doctor feels the only thing he can do is to repeat the testing. He said it more to appease her the first time. I am not so sure now. Three doctors including this doctor claim that the first test was accurate, and there's no real reason to repeat. They all 3 recently have said she should not live alone.  I fear what could happen if mom is determined able to live alone, but also don't want to deny her the possibility to test again. I'd like to not base my decision on fear. My opinion is that she should never live alone again, but I cannot deny the improvements she has made. It seems as the guardian the decision to re-test is mine. Mom goes back and forth on whether she would like to re-test or not. For one she doesn't trust the testing and fears a negative result. Secondly she feels she was completely well at the last test and she was determined to need 24 hr care. Seriously though there is a huge difference in her then and now. I still see the dementia, but the total psychotic factor is gone. I'd appreciate any insight on this. This has been a long hard journey to make a mistake now and put her at risk again. It seems to be a matter of trusting the results from before, and or trusting them again regardless of the outcome.

NightOwl Mar 2018
Yes BarbBrooklyn to contest guardianship, conservatorship, and to live alone. She can make a better attempt at the things you asked about, but she can't carry thru. Her reasoning is some better, but she struggles to understand simple things like how her checks get deposited, how exact coins deposited are not actually able to be retrieved back from the bank, how a deposit receipt is not what you use to get your money back out of the bank. There was a time she understood and did all her banking. She has regained some of her empathy, and the ability to say "I'm sorry." She can form conclusions, and is more aware. These are the things I notice.

BarbBrooklyn Mar 2018
What is the reason mom wants retesting? To contest the guardianship? To gain the ability to live alone?

I guess I'd humor her. Leave the decision in her hands. Neuropsych testing measures reasoning, attention, problem solving, sequencing and various aspects of memory, among other things. Not sure she's going to get much of a different result.

Are her reasoning skills better ? Can she balance a checkbook? Cook a nutritious meal? Manage her meds?

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NightOwl Mar 2018
Yes, actually 8 if you count the Neuro Psych doctor. Mom never appreciated the doctors diagnosis or opinions so we stopped going to the first 4. We currently still see 3, a geriatric doctor, geriatric psychiatrist, and a geriatric specialist/neurologist.

pamzimmrrt Mar 2018
7 Doctors???

talkey Mar 2018
I remember having those moments where I wondered if I'd moved Dad unnecessarily. Sometimes he just had such good days! But overall, it's true, there was sometimes a gradual decline, and then more drastic ones. Still, I remember the day we discussed hospice with his medical team, they suggested I could have him assessed, but they weren't sure he would qualify. Again, it was a good day -- no, it was a phenomenal day for him. He passed 3 weeks later. My point is that if you truly believe she shouldn't live alone, she may have good days, and you might even be hopeful to the point of seeing her as much better than she really is. Just my thoughts -- My final advice: read Blackhole's and EmandEm's posts under the thread, 'Do I or don't I? How can I move Mom from her home?' Best wishes.

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