He walks with a shuffle can't move his lips. He had always been healthy for the 20 years he has worked for me. Now over the past two years, he mumbles his words. His mouth hardly moves when he speaks and he seems a little bent over. He has always eaten very healthy food, exercised, practiced yoga, and never smoked or drank alcohol. His job includes public speaking and client consultations. I'm afraid he may be forced to retire. He is seeing a neurologist next month (the soonest he can get an appointment) He is in the states on a green card and has to go back home for medical care due to cost etc. He is from the UK. The other thing, he has trouble walking into his office which goes from tile in the hallway to carpet in his office with a crack between the carpet & tile. I had heard that this indicates Alzheimer's. Is this true or is it an old wives tale? His local doctor sent him to a neurologist and he is having speech therapy weekly here.
I'm glad that he is seeing a neurologist. I was thinking it may be Parkinson's until you mention the problem with transition from tile to carpet. That sounds like Alzheimer';s ( a real part of the disease). People can have mixed dementias, as well.
Best case scenario would be if they found that some medication that he takes is giving him these symptoms, but your description sounds pretty convincing. He needs a neurologist to determine what is wrong.
Support him the best that you can. If there are other duties that you could give him temporarily (not demanding public speaking) that would be ideal.
Please update us when you can.
Carol
One issue with lewy is that they often have spatial disorientation and see areas with shadows. My mom would see flooring as having cobblestone pattern rather than the wooden flooring it was. Bamboo flooring or carpeting with textures were especially challenging. Do you know what " cookies" are in lighting for like film or Photography? They are big boards with patterns cut out to soften or intensify your light source. For those with lewy, it's like they are seeing area lit through a cookie. If you google cookies & lighting for film & photos, it will explain this better than I ever could.
Could he have a TIA or a series of TIA's? Transient ischemic attacks? Mom had those too. Fir her they built over time and would affect speech patterns for days afterwards.
If he has lewy, getting care in the UK will actually be better as UK has lots more research out on lewy. US tends to be all about Alz & the other dementias like lewy & frontal temporal get lost in the process.
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