I recently moved back home from the Military to my mother and dad. When I had left, I had no clue about any of this because it was not a thing then. (About 5 years ago) Since I’ve been home I’ve noticed during the evenings my father acts confused over simple things. The TV might be hard to turn on, putting something in the microwave, etc. Recently we had a night where he was very sad. He could not control his balance, and I had to carry him from the backyard to put him to bed. My mother says this has all started within the past year and a half, but she isn’t surprised because my dad's grandmother had Alzheimer’s at his age (57).
Just looking for maybe some advice, because it is heartbreaking knowing the man I’ve looked up to in my life, is starting to struggle to change the channel on the TV. Thank you.
In my experience, the regular physician did a really short mental exam, prescribed Aricept and that was it. A memory care clinic will look for other possible causes for your dad's confusion and they will follow up with him.
If it is Alzheimer's there are things that can be done to try to slow down the progression of the disease. I think there are medications and techniques that may help with Sundown Syndrome too.
I'm very sorry you are going through this. This forum can be a good source of information.