Tryingmybest Asked January 2015
What does borderline dementia mean?
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I've scoured the internet and searched this forum site but I can't find an explanation for borderline dementia.
My dad was screened by his geriatrician on Friday and the doctor said he scored borderline dementia. I was not there, my sister was and she is a nurse practitioner so I asked what that meant. Her answer was not very helpful. All she said was the protocol for assessing dementia is a long process and there are preliminary steps to go through before Neuropsychological testing. OK I get that...but I still want to know what borderline dementia means on a screening test. Does anyone here know?
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Much more telling are family and friends observations from spending extended time periods with LO over the course of a day/evening and in different situations, at bank, driving, restaurant, social settings.
A full neuro workup is the only true way to get a quantifiable score. Secondly, it really helps if you can document all your observations factually of behaviors, things they say and do, etc. that are of concern. Be sure to document anything positive as well -- such as dad cooks his meals, can dress himself, routinely showers, does laundry, runs dishwasher on his own, never has been lost while driving, etc.
Regardless, the diagnosis from dr should be wake up call for family to begin having discussion with dad to start getting all wills, AD, DPOAs, in order. Have frank discussion about care wants/needs for future -- where does he want to live, how will family and dad's finances make that possible as he ages whether or not dementia gets worse (which it likely will over time). Try to work with dad to put safeguards in place -- on-line banking; direct deposits, someone on the bank accounts to monitor and be able to assist when dad isn't able.
Start visiting senior living options, residential care -- just so dad is familiar with it, costs, etc. He may not like it, but good for all involved to really look at whats available locally or near a child whether or not you ever need it. Don't wait until it is too late and you are in a critical situation 3-5 yrs down the road.
Keep documenting your observations and those of other family members -- keep a diary. You may need in the future as you have continuing discussions with doctors, social workers, caregivers, etc. over time and medications that may be prescribed.
There are also signs of depression so the doctor put him on a low dose of Zoloft. I am hoping that will help his spirits to lift. He has been through a lot in the last year and his life has drastically changed.
I would guess that in this case the situation is something like this: on a certain test a score below 15 is considered "dementia" and your Dad scored 16. Something just on the edge of a dementia score. That the geriatrician would use the word "dementia" at all tells me the doctor is fairly certain dementia is present but there is not enough test evidence yet to send Dad on for further tests. (Just my guess.)
What may be even more important is the observations of people who live with Dad or see him very regularly. Does his behavior seem different to you? Is his judgement a little "off"? How is his memory? Is he having any trouble with balance, or finding the right word?