Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Alzheimer's /dementia???? FIL what to do.....is it???..

If they forget about 9/11 or other emotional news items don't tell them about it or let them see anything about it on TV...it can be just as traumatic as the first time around. This happened to my grandma. She had senile dementia..fortunately her personality was there but she just didn't remember the last 50 years.

Helped my Mom care for my Dad who had dementia and Parkinsons. He lasted 10 years.Horrible disease. I noticed a change in his demeanor 2 years before he was diagnosed and told my mom. She was in denial. In the beginning he reverted back to childhood memories then basically became a vegetable needing 24 hr a day care. Feeding, bathing, diapers, cat tube.

Get to a good Doctor and hopefully can help you out. I took my Mom and Dad to an attorney as soon as we found out to take care of end of life issues, estate , power of attorney.

Good luck and please read up on the disease so you know how to communicate and interact.

He can be healed.

If you believe that you haven't had experience with the disease!

Jim

FOR GOD'S SAKE GET HIM TO SIGN AN "UNLIMITED POWER OF ATTORNEY" ASAP TO WHOMEVER IS GOING TO END UP BEING THE CARETAKER, BEFORE HE IS TOO FAR ALONG AND JUDGED TOO MENTALLY INCOMPETENT TO DO IT!!!!! ALSO MAKE SURE THERE IS A WILL, otherwise any estate will end up in probate court. An attorney will probably be necessary to prepare the documents, and they must be notarized.

Yes, I know I'm shouting, but it is just that important!

Went through that ordeal with my mom, and it was not fun. I won't try to recount the details here, as it would be a long story.

Myron

PS. - The unlimited power of attorney I had let us make decisions about life support, but laws have changed, and you may need to have a "Living Will" to address health care and life support issues.

If you don't believe it then you have not seen a healing and what He can do.

I was on the transplant list and took myself off when I was healed. That was 5-years ago. Should have been dead four of those. :-)

Never say never.

You seem to be out of step with every other poster on this thread. If what you say is true, doctors would be unnecessary.

Jim

Gun Geezer,
Not trying to burst your bubble, but God doesn't always give us what we ask for. Sometimes the answer is "No".
Sometimes we go through difficult times for a reason. The reason is not always obvious, though. I don't try to second-guess God. It is just part of our short span on this planet.

In this situation, people MUST be prepared for the worst, and if something miraculous happens, it is a bonus!

Myron

No one has asked this question yet, and it's a big one. Does your dad recognize and admit that his memory is failing him? Because if he hasn't you will most likely have one hell of a fight on your hands if he doesn't see it. My father is experiencing short-term memory loss and mental degradation (literal tested and classified genius, multiple degrees, very intelligent) and either is unable to recognize his own memory loss (we can't remember what we forget, right?) or refuses to admit the memory loss. We had a family intervention with him and mom 18 months ago that was not received well. Mom knew it was coming, but all 5 kids came home and explained to dad our concerns, as well as documented verbatims showing the memory issues. One sister is a family doc and I'm a pastor, verbatims are par for the course in our work. He is a retired pastor, refused to listen to us and told us we both had crossed professional boundaries. So...does he know he's losing it?

Make sure to set up a trust for your dad before he is diag. with Alz. That way when he requires full time nursing his assest will be preserved for you mother and family.

My Mom has it and she was defensive about it. Like when I would talk to her about it she would say don't say that I have Alz. because there is no recovery from it. She also resented her loss of driving and freedom. She moved in with my brother and his family and started insulting them. So be prepared for a rough ride.

My MIL is 63 and was diagnosed with dementia less than 1 year ago. She's always been a little forgetful, but we have all been shocked at how rapidly her memory loss has progressed. In addition she has become very angry. This is an extremely difficult thing for families to go through.

When she was originally diagnosed we thought it would progress slowly and we would have a long time before it got bad, we now know this isn't true. At this rate I can't imagine we have more than a couple of years before she is no longer the person we know.

I hate this for my FIL. He told me recently that they have reached a place in life that could be a really good time for them, but not now. He is losing his wife of over 40 years, and becoming her care taker instead.

I hate to watch my wife lose her Mom this way, and I hate to watch my boys lose her like this. They are farily young (6,7, and 12) and their grandparents have been very involved in their lives since they were born, so they are very close to her. They can no longer spend the day with her like they always have. She just can't be trusted. It breaks my heart.

This just plain SUCKS!!!!!

Yes I have dealt with it with my mother. No need for details as it is a common story unfortunately.
It is really harder on us than it is on the patient.
I got to the point that the only comfort I could find was to thank God that she did not remember that she did not remember. Did not know that she did not know.

I stayed with my wife's great aunt for an afternoon while he and his wife had some business to attend to.
All i can say make sure you get him into a place that has locks on the doors and gates so he does not wander off.

This lady was put into a home later that year and in 6 months did not know who she was.
She died shortly.

It will be hard for you to do this but it will be for the best.

Myron,

My bubble aint busrtable. Agree with much of what you had to say. Of course all I've said was he could be healed, not that he would be.

Obviously, if such is not the case then prudent prep must be made. 100% agree and appreciate what good folks have offered the OP is sound wisdom.

For my part and based on what I have seen and experienced, I'm surprised when healing does not occur as opposed to when it does. I EXPECT it.


Blessings to all!

In my business I work with Facilities that take care of Alzheimer Patients.... I've seen a lot, that's for sure....

sadly it is something that should not be put off... it is a difficult bridge to cross to get someone admitted... but worse things can happen if not admitted...

don't know how many times I've seen the story of one wandering off in slippers and a bathrobe, and then the temp falls way below freezing overnight.. and they find the lost senior dead somewhere...

what amazes me is that they can have no idea who they are, where they are, how old they are, or anything else... yet can remember what they did for a job in their professional lives..

I'll just sum that up, with I have seen former nurses with alzheimers... and have seen former electrical engineers with alzheimers...and a retired Army 3 Star General....

"For my part and based on what I have seen and experienced, I'm surprised when healing does not occur as opposed to when it does. I EXPECT it."

You seem to be the epitome of "blind" faith.

Jim

I was healed by a tangible touch. Undeniable. Healed. Alive!

I have seen a boy whose dyes were healed. I have witnessed God grow a leg 2 inches so they were both the same length. I have seen much more.

But mostly I've read the 28 healings by Christ and that he is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He's going to keep right on doing it for those that believe.

My faith is not blind. Simply based on Word and observation.

My dad has it. He no longer knows who I am. It makes me so sad.

Geo

yes it is. My father died from complications from dementia. 6 years ago I looked into his eyes and asked him who I was. he did not know. However I felt worse for my Mom as he did not recognize her after45 years of marriage.

My mom still changed his diapers every day and emptied his catheter bag.

Love sure has a different context when one ages.

I lost my mom to Alzheimer's nearly two years ago.

Get medical advice at once. Do not delay getting the patient into a facility that can properly take care of them. People tend to wait too long in many cases.

The people at the care unit were extremely kind to my mother. I could not have done nearly as good a job as they did. Plus she was safely locked in so she could not wander.

It's a bad deal, but it does give the rest of us time to adjust to the loss. And once in a while it has its genuinely tender or funny moments. One day I went to visit, and Mom was aghast. She had looked in the mirror and had discovered that she was old.