Suggest Remedy For Memory Loss In An Elderly Person

Posted on Mon, 16 Nov 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Mon, 16 Nov 2015 Answered on

Mon, 7 Dec 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : My mother just turned 90. She still lives at home by herself, in the Midwest. Over the past few years she has had some memory loss and some weight loss. She has had two major hospitalizations in the past three years -- for colon cancer and an intestinal blockage. Over the past two weeks, she has exhibited erratic behavior, including talking to and about herself, loud, raucous and inappropriate laughter, forgetting how to turn on her TV, and struggling to unlock her house door. I am concerned that she has had a stroke or some other illness that is causing this strange behavior. Any ideas or suggestions?

Answered by Dr. Grzegorz Stanko (25 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Head CT should be done.

Detailed Answer:
Hello!

Thank you for the query.

As she is colon cancer patient, such behavior can be a sign of some brain metastases. This is the first thing to be ruled out. Stroke is also a possibility.
I suggest her to start with head CT and neurologist consult. Without this test it is hard to give any precise answer.

Hope this will help. Feel free to as further questions.
Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar