Dementia

[Guest]

My Mother is 85 Years old and lives alone 13 miles away. In the last 5 years she has lost her husband (my Father) and her brother, both of whom lived with her.
Over the last three years or so, her memory has deteriorated, she has become very secretive (hiding purses and letters in places she then can't remember, will insist to neighbours that 'she never sees us' when we visit almost every day and are in constant contact by phone.
She often rings up 12 - 15 times a day, often 3 - 4 minutes apart, asking us to help her look for a fictitious dog or cat, or to tell us about someone who has been to visit (who we know has been dead for years.
She has even phoned us and actually carried on a conversation with me (Son) as if I were her brother who died 16 years earlier.
Are these the symptoms of Dementia, or am I looking in the wrong direction?

[Guest]

No, that is not dementia. When you are demented you are always running to the bathroom to pee, if you don't plan your day the night before it runs away before you knew what happened, your energy level gets up and goes before you knew what happened if your day is not structured or there is an unexpected trauma(a fight or argument, something suddenly needs repair, someone else suddenly gets sick). Hope this helps.
[quote] My Mother is 85 Years old and lives alone 13 miles away. In the last 5 years she has lost her husband (my Father) and her brother, both of whom lived with her... [/quote]