My mother had a memory test - the one that asks basic questions like the date and season, draw a clock etc. She scored 5/30. Two years ago she scored 16/30. So how bad is that ? What does it really mean. The doctor indicated that was quite a significant decrease but didn’t say much more than that
I doubt there's a set 'number' that indicates that a person is far worse or better than you think-this is simply a diagnostic tool to help drs and CG's know what to expect of the patient.
There's nothing that says a '5' means 1 more year or 6 months. It simply shows a decrease in mental function. You know the person better. You see the decline. I've known many people who were deemed almost completely incompetent with dementia keep going for years. (Not pleasant ones, I admit) but the body and mind are separate in many ways.
You can go along physically for a lot longer with no sense of who you are or what you're doing (the broken brain idea) and in some ways, feeling little to no 'stress' about health and well being can make for a longer life.
This is a solid D- or F, if you need to have a letter grade. Does that put it in perspective?
Looks like 24/7 care is your option now.
The Dr. probably ASSUMED you understood the number score. Perhaps a chat with him will help you to understand it.
Also the internet has a LOT to say--so maybe do some research on your own and see what you can garner.
https://www.dementiacarecentral.com/mini-mental-state-exam/
https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/diagnosis/medical_tests#:~:text=The%20maximum%20MMSE%20score%20is,to%20four%20points%20each%20year.