Hi Carol. While in the military, I spent 1 ½ yrs around Nea Makri and Marathon Greece and remember it well.
The inability to recognize friends and family is a result of advancing memory decline. It can catch a family member off guard and not knowing how to respond. Ultimately, your brother will just have to let it go. Here's a thought; when your brother sees her, he could say, “Hi mom, it's XXX your favorite son”. This may or may not connect with her. Another thing is to not test her memory by asking, “do you know who I am?” or “do you know who this is?”. It could be stressful for her to try to come up with an answer. Remember, her not recognizing your brother, or any family member, has no reflection on their relationship. It doesn't mean he wasn't around her enough, or imply that she forgot him. So don't be overly concerned, it's another symptom of VaD and is common with any of the dementias.
First I must say that I'm sorry for the loss of your dad. Then I will say that with all of the dementias it is common for a person to confuse one person for another. I wouldn't be too concerned about that. I was glad to read in your profile that you're wanting to learn as much about mom's diagnosis as possible., which is so very important when dealing with any kind of mental decline issues. You can learn a lot online of course, and Teepa Snow has lots of great videos on YOU Tube you can watch as well. My husband had vascular dementia, and I can tell you that it is the most aggressive of all of the dementias, with a life expectancy of only 5 years. It usually starts with more of the physical issues first, like incontinence, unsteady gait(falling a lot,)and swallowing issues. It then will start to effect a persons mind and comprehension. My husband was diagnosed in 2018, although he was showing signs a good year before, and he passed away in Sept. 2020. I wish you the very best, and will just tell you to enjoy whatever time you have left with your mom.
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The inability to recognize friends and family is a result of advancing memory decline. It can catch a family member off guard and not knowing how to respond. Ultimately, your brother will just have to let it go. Here's a thought; when your brother sees her, he could say, “Hi mom, it's XXX your favorite son”. This may or may not connect with her. Another thing is to not test her memory by asking, “do you know who I am?” or “do you know who this is?”. It could be stressful for her to try to come up with an answer. Remember, her not recognizing your brother, or any family member, has no reflection on their relationship. It doesn't mean he wasn't around her enough, or imply that she forgot him. So don't be overly concerned, it's another symptom of VaD and is common with any of the dementias.
I was glad to read in your profile that you're wanting to learn as much about mom's diagnosis as possible., which is so very important when dealing with any kind of mental decline issues. You can learn a lot online of course, and Teepa Snow has lots of great videos on YOU Tube you can watch as well.
My husband had vascular dementia, and I can tell you that it is the most aggressive of all of the dementias, with a life expectancy of only 5 years. It usually starts with more of the physical issues first, like incontinence, unsteady gait(falling a lot,)and swallowing issues. It then will start to effect a persons mind and comprehension. My husband was diagnosed in 2018, although he was showing signs a good year before, and he passed away in Sept. 2020. I wish you the very best, and will just tell you to enjoy whatever time you have left with your mom.
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I want to offer my condolences for the loss of your father.
Please stick around for others to answer your posting. We do have some posters that are familiar with vascular dementia.