We have a neuro appointment on the 13th. It will be my first appointment with her, as we are all still ironing out the best plan for her. Since I work the closest w/ her and I dispense her meds, it was decided I attend her appointments as well. Anyway, she's battled parkinson's for many years, but the last few months, she has really started to show cognitive decline. She and I were reviewing a symptom tracking worksheet, and out of 4 or 5 possible cognitive issues, she identified "confusion" in herself. The doctor needs to know that it's much more than not knowing what day of the week it is. She hallucinates. She paces and wanders, and at times, kinda borderline obsessively collects stuff like folded paper towels or extra pairs of briefs. She'll take a sliver of information and ruminate on it, blowing it up into a full-blown anxiety attack (ex. We were given a lift chair. Unfortunately, the previous owner's cat urinated on the cord, so the cord needed to be cleaned. MIL overheard something about a cat urinating on the chair, and over the next 6 hours, her mind spun it up until she told me, with tears in her eyes, that HER beloved, 20 year old cat would now need to stay outside because she couldn't have Jazzy peeing on everything...???) She's gotten herself into some very bizarre, unsafe situations when she was left alone. These things previously were happening when expected; in the middle of the night, late evening, early morning, and they resolved quickly. However, they are happening at all hours of the day now, and lasting longer. I'm convinced that her sinemet dose is too low and not managing her symptoms, but even that....her mind has confused "dyskinesia" with "tremors". So, she feels a tremor, and she either splits her sinemet in half or skips it....hoping the neuro can have my back on that one...anyway, how should I prepare her for this appointment? I don't want her to be blindsided by the extent of her behavior, but the doctor needs to know the reality of the decline, right? What do I say to her???
In terms of how to describe recent decline, keeping a journal with examples such as the one you've given is a good idea. I'm sure you know better than I do that Parkinson's effects can sometimes become unfortunately florid and the neurologist will no doubt want to nip in the bud anything that seems to be developing.
Medications: let "take your medication as prescribed" be your mantra. Parkinson's meds are finely adjusted right down to timing and mustn't be mucked about with. Reassure your mother that any untoward symptoms will be reported regularly so that her doctor can do the adjusting, but she must stick to the regime.