Something’s Not Right: Could My Grandmother Have Dementia?

Reader’s Question

I’m a 14-year-old male and I’m really worried about my Nanna. She hasn’t been acting right for awhile. I wonder if she might have dementia. She’s 54, so I’m not sure if it’s even possible for her to have it at this age. Also, also is there a possibility that she is having some kind of grief still because her husband (my grandfather) died in 2006, and it was about 6 months later that she started to act differently. Sometimes she talks funny, and when she does she also complains of a pounding head. She’s been to the GP, but I don’t see where it did any good. Just the other day, however, she said she’s starting to feel better. Do you have any ideas about what could be wrong?

Our Clinical Psychologist’s Reply

Age and significant stressors (like the loss of a loved one) almost always have the potential to impact a person’s physical as well as mental health. Besides that, any marked change in a person’s normal behavior pattern is almost always a sign of some kind of problem. You show sensitivity in your concern about your Nanna. But you will probably have to make peace with the notion that sometimes there are no easy answers. And because there are so many possibilities, you should not give up hope just because a routine visit to the GP didn’t produce miracles. Many conditions are very hard to adequately diagnose. Besides that, some conditions that appear to be of a psychological nature can have a physical cause. You know your Nanna and are aware that her behavior is different lately for some reason. That’s a good start and an important observation. So, it’s best to press on with securing a very thorough assessment with a health professional. Seek the support of a concerned adult also. Your Nanna’s GP may have to make some referrals to specialists to help clarify the issues and some tests or other assessments may need to be performed to determine just what’s going on. Even if your Nanna says she’s starting to feel better, and especially if you still notice oddities in her behavior, it’s probably a good idea to get a thorough work-up for her.