My mother was formally diagnosed with dementia just over 5 years ago by her local Mental Health hospital. She was 61 when she was diagnosed. She lives alone, but gets support from my sister-in-law and by Social Services who go in first thing in the morning to give her breakfast and provide an evening meal. During the day, she attends a local day centre run by the Alzheimers Society so she is fairly active. Over the 4 years mums ability to string a comprehendable sentance together has been lost, and although she continues to talk as if she knows what she is talking about, but it can often sound like gibberish. I live over 200 miles away from my mum. To make sure she is OK and so I can check she is OK, I've rigged up a camera in her living room of her flat. Most times when she is around she can be found sitting on the sofa in front of the TV. However, more recently, in the last 3/4 months or so, I've noticed my mum standing in front of a big mirror on the wall and talking to herself. These aren't one off comments or sentances, but seemingly a whole conversation as if the person she is talking to (ie, herself) is talking back to her. I've also seen her beckon to her reflection as if to say or ask, 'come with me' or 'come on'. When she does this, she often either walks out of the living room to her bedroom or she heads in to the kitchen. When she realises that the person in the mirror hasn't followed her she comes back and restarts the conversation. Unfortunately, because the mic on the camera isn't that good I don't really pick up what she is saying, but I know she is talking to herself because her lips of moving and I know by her actions that she is having conversations with herself.

Since I spotted my mother doing this talking to herself, I've been looking up everywhere details of it and I can't seem to find any connection with dementia and talking to yourself. Most places, all I find is references to depression and schizophrenia [SIC]. Now, I know that depression can often create issues of poor memory that can mirror dementia symptons and I am now wondering if my mother has been mis-diagnosed and they've badged her with the wrong condition. One thing that supports this is that on occasion when I or my partner speak to her she sounds perfectly coherent - she remembers things she's done in the day or events that she's done two or three days earlier (ie, going shopping with my sister-in-law).

When my mother was first diagnosed she was living in another place which she has since moved from. In her old house she experienced episodes of paranoia - thinking that there was a man living in her loft who would come down whilst she was asleep and move or take things and then put them back later on. She also described to me one day how she was being chased around her house or be shouted at by this man from the top of the stairs. She was absolutely terrified when she moved thinking this 'man' would follow her and find her again. Although there were a few incidents of thinking that things were being moved around her new flat when she first moved in, she hasn't made any reference of it for a long time.

I've often thought several times since my mum's initial diagnosis whether it was right or whether she has another mental health condition that is creating similar issues. Another thing that strikes me is now how relatively fit and healthy she continues to be other than having dementia. I have met several other people whose parent or parents have had the condition, and they all say that following diagnosis, their parent(s) went from being a fairly active forgetful person to somebody who lost the ability to speak, then interact or communicate completely and then passed away with 3/5 years of initial diagnosis. 5 years in to my mum's diagnoses and it seems that she still has a long way to go.

I would be grateful for any advice anybody can provide. Since my mum's intial diganosis, she's never been back to the hospital for a reassessment or an update on the progress of her disease, so wondering if I should request this and then talk my concerns over with the doctor or consultant. She did have a brain scan at the time, so I could ask them to do that again and see if there is any change since then.

Thanks for listening and hope I haven't waffled on too much.