Worried about my father

[WMC]

Good evening. I have noticed for the last month or so that my 87 year old father has been slurring a bit. It is mostly S or C words. The rest of his words seem to be ok. He has excellent health otherwise and is very active for his age. He had broken a Front tooth in his dentures about 6 weeks ago, and I asssumed the slurring was in relation to that, so I wasn’t taking any notice of it. Because of Covid lockdown he was not able to get his dentures repaired until this week. His teeth are now repaired but the slurring continues. I have not mentioned anything to him and he doesn’t seem to notice it. My spouse can hear it too. My sister also said it to me about two weeks ago and I told her I thought it was the gap in his teeth as it started about that time. But now I am not sure anymore. My question is relating to slurring with ALS. Does a person slur all the time, and in every word. Or does the slurring start on some particular words only before progressing. Also is ALS likely at 87years old or rare at that age. He does not seem to have issues swallowing. Thank you for listening.

 

[affected]

Hi WMC, one single symptom is just not enough for us to really comment. Slurring could be a result of so many things, and we would suspect ALS if it is combined with other things. It sounds like he needs to see a doctor who can decide what kind of concern there is or isn't.

 

[ShiftKicker]

Hi WMC-

You also posted a while back for yourself worrying about slurring and hand issues. It sounds like ALS may be a focus for you if you are now worried about your father. I encourage you to read the Read Before Posting link again for some reassurance for yourself and maybe have your father speak with his GP for a check up. As Tillie has stated above, it's really hard to say about slurred speech and nothing else- and a doctor should be the first stop.

Please take care