Expert: Paula Damgaard - 8/17/2006

Question
I have spent many hours searching alzheimer's symptoms.  I have a grandmother who is not confused about people or her past.  The one problem she does have is that she thinks she is just married a man and has given birth.  She crys quite often because she can't leave her retirement apartment and go with him and she has also been hospitalized recently due to becoming violent late at night with staff.  She is in her mid 80's and is still sharp about who people are. We can not get past this husband issue.  I have not seen this type behavior mentioned as alzheimer's.  She is also a diabetic.

Answer
Jamye, sorry for the delay in response.  I was out of town last week and then had to rush home, because my father in law was in the hospital for emergency surgery, and then died.  So checking my email was not really my number one priority.

I would say that your grandmother can most definitely have AD.  People with AD present differently, and just cause she knows people and her past doesn't mean she doesn't have it.  But why guess?  She should have a complete work up by a neurologist or geriatric physician who specializes in AD, and have a full set of neuropsychological tests done to find out.  

The recent research is that people with diabetes have a greater risk of developing Alzheimer's.  So please have her checked so that she can get on the medication she needs.  Paula