Soania, as Rose put it far better than I would have, "Your apology--while gracious--was unnecessary," thanks Rose. Soania, I am sorry that I made you feel uncomfortable with my comment about the definition.

I guess I will ask my neuro on Monday about my questions. I still want to know when should a person begin to worry, if ever.

Carolyn

Carolyn, as someone has already posted, you are not among the demented, nor do I think you should worry about it. Worry will just corrode your great attitude! We all depend on that.
Robert

Thank you Rose. Rick and Carolyn for making me feel welcome, your kind words are appreciated. Although I've been dealing with this diagnosis now for almost 12 years, much of that time I purposefully avoided these types of forums (part of that whole "head in the sand stage"!). But now that I'm becoming more proactive, I've found these exchanges to be helpful instead of stressful. Although I wish none of us were here, there is a connection that you feel with people who share a similar life experience. Thanks to all of you who contribute. Your viewpoints, research and insights have given me much to think about!

Hi Carolyn et al,

Three months before meeting my movement disorder specialist, I self-diagnosed my PD, giving myself a 90% chance of accuracy. Because of cognitive changes (word finding difficulty, slow thinking, trouble making decisions, short-term memory loss, confusion) I was aware that my diagnosis also could be--or easily morph into--Lewy Body Dementia.

I brought this concern to three neurologists I know; all of them reassure me that cognitive changes are not uncommon in PD and that they are very unlikely to be early signs of dementia. I prefer the unvarnished truth and was therefore pleased that the most direct of the three concurred.

Here are bits and pieces from my reading today re: dementia and pd:

"About 0.2 percent to 0.5 percent of those with Parkinson’s over age 65 will have problems with dementia, including trouble with their memory, attention spans, and what is called executive function — the process of making decisions, organizing, managing time, and setting priorities." Of course, for this statistic to be meaningful to young onsetters, we would need clarification on the "over age 65" part...do they mean PWP who are 65+ or PWP who were dx at 65+?

"Older people with Parkinson disease may develop dementia. It is more common in those over 70 years old. Dementia is a medical term referring to difficulties with recent memory (e.g., the person can't remember what happened yesterday, but can remember events from years ago). Two terms used are Parkinson disease dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies. Most scientists believe they are the same thing....Signs of [PD] dementia include changes in alertness, withdrawal, loss of problem-solving skills, and lack of flexibility in thinking (getting stuck on one topic).... During a test for dementia [either the MMSE or CAMCog is useful for PWP], the patient answers [questions that] evaluate memory, problem solving ability, attention span, and language skills." http://www.aan.com/practice/guidelin...useaction=home

Looking forward to hearing your neuro's response should you be willing to share it!

Rose