Hi

I have posted once before to this group about my mum. In 2003 after she
vomitted a lot and felt dizzy continuously more or less for 4 days, she was
admitted to hospital. In the first hour or two of this stay, whilst in A&E
(the UK equivalent of ER) she lapsed into what I can only call a
semi-concious state. She had a fixed stare ahead and was unresponsive to
commands apart from some mumbling. She recovered from this over 4 hours but
ever since she's not been the same and has slowly detoriorated. It started
off with memory problems and she also became more aggressive.

During this stay she had an MRI brain scan and was referred to a neurologist
who
she saw in June after I pressed my GP about mum's unusual behaviours. The GP
said the MRI scan showed degeneration but nothing more. The neurologist said
she had suffered several mini-strokes and this was probably responsible for
her
(then) recent memory problems. He ordered a follow up MRI scan, which she
had in July, and a follow up visit to see him in late Novemeber. At this
visit he explained the 2nd scan had shown new mini-strokes as he expected,
so he discharged her from his care with strict instructions to her GP to
take more care of her blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides. She's
had a history of high cholesterol since at least 1990, blood pressure on and
off since 1978 and more especially since 1990 and her triglycerides were
recorded as being high as 2003, although the problem probably existed before
this. She also had a major stroke during an angiography procedure that went
wrong in 1991 which left her with partial sight although no other problems
occurred then.

She has now started to become more and more aggressive. Her short term
memory is more or less the same, but she has warped stories that have
happened in the past so that my father is blamed. She also often accuses him
of thieving money, buying prostitutes and even talks about sex in front of
me - all very uncharacteristic behaviours. She is also becoming physically
abusive towards dad to such an extent I am beginning to fear what may
happen.

I have been back to the Doctor about her suspicious behaviours - for example
where she thinks money has been stolen by dad - and he puts it down to mum's
memory problems. He also said, and I am quoting him directly, that mum "will
slowly get worse over time, however it's not like Alzheimer's (disease)
where the
progression to death is rapid - less than 2 years". He also said mum would
have
good days and mum would have bad. I am simply asking first of all what to do
next about mum's recent violent behvaiour and if this sounds like vascular
dementia.
If it is why would the Doctor not be naming it directly and merely be
describing it's
symptoms?