We have some dear English friends who are both 76. The wife of the couple is very definitely a way down the path of having some form of dementia. I won’t go into vast detail but her symptoms are many.
They have got as far a getting a letter/ordonnance from their MT in order to go to a specialist for a proper appraisal &, to that end, the husband asked us who we had been to when my wife had to be assessed for various vertigo like symptoms.
We were happy to oblige as we were very happy with the service provided, but it was all done entirely in French, which we didn’t/don’t have a problem with.
However, it has become clear that for our friends their consulting such a specialist will only be properly useful if at least some of the conversation can be held in English; the husband does speak basic French but is concerned that he doesn’t have all the necessary power of nuance to convey things properly. His wife used to be very good with her French language skills but these seem to have evaporated since the onset of the problem, so anything she might be able to convey during a consultation needs to be in English.
My wife & I would be willing to tag along to a consultation to act a interpreters but it’s going to be difficult enough to get the patient in front of doctor, without them feeling they are being snooped on/everybody knowing their business.
So, in short, we’re looking for any recommendations that SFers may have for an English speaking neurologue in our neck of the woods, which is west 14, southern 50, north west 61. Thank you.
A dementia diagnosis needs absolutely to be done in the subject’s native language, there are linguistic clues to dementia which won’t be picked up in a second language. It may even be worth going back to the UK to get it done.
Edited to add if you get it done in France you need either an English native speaker or someone genuinely bilingual, not just someone whose English is OK. Translation during the exam isn’t possible if you want an accurate result.
I remember a consultant shouting in German to get my mother’s attention, I had to tell him it was pointless shouting at her in her 3rd language which she didn’t like anyway, if he wanted to get a reaction from her. His French and English weren’t very good and anyway she was past it by then.
An interesting thought, but there are definitely barriers surrounding that possibility, mainly related to a bad experience last time this couple ventured back to the UK. I’m also concerned that time is pressing.
Would your friends be able to travel further afield within France? I’ve just googled “bi-lingual neurologue France” and several names have come up, that might be worth pursuing.
Not least, they may know of colleagues who would be able to help.
Many of the doctor’s who say they speak english on keldoc or doctolib actually don’t - beyond the basics. You woukd have to dig deeper.
So unless someone pops up with an actual recommendation I would suggest may have to
Phonethe alzheimers assoc who seem to offer support in many languages
Get Help and Support, Day or Night
The Alzheimer’s Association is here all day, every day for people facing Alzheimer’s and other dementia through our free 24/7 Helpline (800.272.3900). Talk to a dementia expert now and get confidential emotional support, local resources, crisis assistance and information in over 200 languages. It’s ok if you don’t know where to start. Just give us a call and we’ll guide you from there.
2 Look further afield such as trying the American Hospital in Paris
3 See if you can find a simultaneous interpreter who specialises in medical matters.
4 trawl through the doctors biographie on doctolib etc to see if you can fine one who trained in Iraq. Medicine is taught in english in Iraq and I had an Iraqi cardiologist who was extremely good with better english than mine.
Thank you @SuePJ & @JaneJones for some useful suggestions. Our friends (or rather, the husband of the couple) may well have already looked at the Alzheimer’s Association as he’s fairly clued up, but I’ll be passing that on.
Given that I saw my own mother suffer from dementia I feel I should be more ‘on it’ but she was in the UK & had the support of my two sisters who lived locally.