Satguys members who care for family member with Alzheimer's Disease

[navychop]

I can relate to the symptoms. And you know what's coming. Oddly, my FiL is still strong, yet cannot walk much. Upper body strength outlasting the legs, I guess. Docs see no need to treat his prostate cancer (maybe some pills) and have already told us if his other hip goes, they will NOT do another hip replacement. His kleptomania is flaring up strong again, and he's getting combative about giving things back. He's actually emptied clothes out of his wife's luggage to stash more "acquisitions."

NOTHING reverses the disease, but sometimes you can get a long plateau.

Latest advance I've heard is that they have determined that Alzheimer's doesn't cause the plaque buildup, it prevents the removal of the plaque.

 

[TheForce]

Garthering the stuff to do my father's taxes again and my research into it shows that his medical condition allows 100% deduction of his assisted living. I read the IRS says you have to qualify at least 2 in the list of activities. He qualified on all of them in the list!

I'm pretty sure we've been on the plateau now since he started the Namenda last July. He never went through the kleptomania stage but did become combative about going to the toilet and taking a bath when I had him at home. As a kid I knew he was always in fights with his older brother so I think this is just coming back. One time he gave me a black eye and after that I locked him into a sleeper hold until he relaxed. When he came around, he didn't remember a thing! It was when that became a daily event, I gave in and we moved him to the assisted living. However, cancer issues have again surfaced according to the preliminary tests yesterday. Waiting now to get biopsy results back. If positive, I don't know if we'll have the option of more radiation therapy. This would be the second go around in 3 years. I know Chemo is out because he is just too weak to go through that. And the doctor said he would not recover from any major surgery due to his slow tissue healing.

 

[navychop]

Sleeper hold. Wow. I've really lucked out. Where he's at, one incident and they move him into intermediate care. If he ever presents as a risk to himself or others, they may even put him into Copper Ridge.

I recall taking my son to see a specialist with his cancer. The doctor said words to the effect that they did not do procedures unless there was a likelihood of being of benefit to the patient. What he was actually saying is, he saw no hope and wrote my son off. Thankfully, Johns Hopkins thought differently and he's alive and well, and back at work. I mention this in relation you your comment about cancer treatment options. Radiation is violence in slow motion. As you well know. Sometimes it's a choice of how fast and how painfully they are to go, and the tradeoffs.

We buried the Alzheimer's afflicted mother of a good friend of mine last Friday. She was something like 94. And a complete vegetable for roughly the last 10. It had been a long, long time since she had recognized him. He had made his peace and "let her go" many years ago, realizing his mother was gone and it was just a vessel left behind. Or so he thought. It was a very intense funeral.