Diagnosing Dementia with a Pre-existing Brain Condition

Today Barbara is joined by Heidi Artman, who is caring for her husband, Lee. Heidi first noticed Lee’s memory problems in 2015, but it wasn’t until recently that he received a diagnosis. Because Lee has struggled with bipolar disorder since his early 30s, what was happening in his brain was difficult to diagnose. Heidi and Barbara talk about the complexity of brain disease and the research into whether components of bipolar are linked to a propensity to dementia. Heidi talks about Lee’s condition: Lewy body dementia is the main component now, and it’s progressing quickly. Along with body issues, Lee is also experiencing delusional states and hallucinations. Keeping him safe has been a challenge – she says the trick is to keep him asleep at night because if he wakes up, he thinks his dream is real. At first she hid the car keys so he wouldn’t drive the car in a delusional state, but he managed to find them. Now she keeps them in a safe. They talk about how difficult these situations are for the caregiver; Lee has absolutely no memory of his hallucinations so Heidi has to remember these traumatic events alone. Would you like to share your caregiver story on Dementia Discussions? Call or email Barbara directly, she’d love to hear from you! (310-362-8232 / [email protected])