GOT THIS from famdamly in the states..... any of u have to deal with this????? I took out the names with ----.......... >"Spent a few days last week with Dad up on the �North Shore� enjoying everything big, boats, docks, trains, lakes, waves, cliffs.

Spending that much one on one time with dad left ---and I with a better sense of how he's doing overall. The one thing that struck us both is his failing memory.
It is now declining at a more rapid pace. For example,
-asked many times a day the name of the town we were in --------,
-would asked "were are we going," and we'd repeat again "to see the big boats dad."
-would take his water pill, write it down on his notepad and a moment or two, or 5, 10, 15, 30 minutes later say, "did I take that pill?"
-he often called Lake Superior "that river."
-watched a short film � Split Rock Lighthouse� and afterwards as ------- shared a few tidbits about the movie �dad was surprised by the information� sayin, "Really, I didn't know that."....had just watched it earlier that day......

And lastly, few weeks back Dad shared that while driving to ----- to attend mass he got lost in the town and "ended up way out in the country, I was so turned around, luckily I turned around and got back into town and found the church."
His distant memories are spot on. Recent and immediate memory is what's declining. or Alzheimer's dementia?. His family history shows his mom had it and his sister l has it, which increase his chances of having it..........ANY input from folks at the campfire had to deal with this??> he lives by himself at the farm.......a long ways from help.

I have been taking care of mother for a while.I have to put her in a facility very soon.Her doctor told me it was time a year ago.Doctor was right.I understand.Dont put off doing what you know needs to be done.It will get much worse.You may have been with him on a good day.

you need to get professional help as soon as possible, to diagnose what is actually happening, it could be a variety of things. Often the far memories are right on, but one cannot state what they had for breakfast. It manifests itself in a variety of ways, and functions don't all go equally at the same time.
An example with my mother was she could not dial a telephone when they went to multiple area codes here in phoenix, but she knew to the penny the interest checks she was to get and when each month.
A very prudish woman, as it progressed she would remark in a restaurant about some young male waiters cute butt, and at times would reach out for a pinch.
I am afraid after consultation you are going to have to make some very hard decisions for his welfare.
I have had many many clients with this. It is a heart rendering condition.
With my mother, in many respects in talking to her, you would not know there was anything wrong. But I ended up putting a voice activated tape recorder on her phone to screen who was calling and what they wanted.
She would send out blank checks, signed, to the utility company as an example. In the retirement area i work in, there are scams all the time attacking older people, such as you won the lottery, send money to collect the prize.

I have a client right now that has been in the emergency/hospital at least nine times this year from falling.
She did it again a couple of days ago, couldn't get up and peed all over her self. A day later she had no memory of it, and relayed the story to us as told to her by the care providers where she lives.

I hope there's a special place in h_ell for scum like that.

HOSPITAL ASAP

Yeah.

I shouldn't have read this damndable thread. (not a shot at the poster - just very unpleasant recollections).

Dementia is not restricted to just Alzheimers. My Father died from Parkinson's a few years ago and suffered greatly from loss of short term memory. Long term was spot on and many times when I couldn't recall a name, I would call him and he always remembered.

Get him tested asap and deal with what ever is causing it. Sometimes it can be delayed or treated symptonly with medication. At least find out what you have to deal with.

Drive down to the mail-box and end up 90 miles away.

BTDT.... you or some one will have to take away his keys, home and life as he knows it. He will soon forget it all. If there is no one for him to be given care/assistance to start interviewing assisted living homes NOW! One will stand out for him. Gotta make sure he is taken care of. Our parents took care of us and it becomes our responsibility to do the same for them.

Ephesians 6:2
�Honor your father and mother� (this is the first commandment with a promise),

1 Timothy 5:4
But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God.

Man, you need to get some Medical & legal advice yesterday!! Been there, done that, got the scars, Either of the two demons you have listed will lead you down a dark and lonely road. Decisions and options will have to be made, the sooner the better. Time is not your friend here, some of the decisions will be much easier while your Dad is still cognizant. I will pray for you and your family.

Been through it with Dad. He died at 92 in a VA Alz ward. It's harder on the family than the victim because the victim doesn't know he's got it. It tears the family apart. When we had to admit Dad to the VA, he kept asking what he'd done wrong to be put in prison. He never did figure out that it was a hospital. He had a private room but spent a lot of time in a central area with other vets and their coloring books and other toys.
Mom kept him at home as long as she could, but at 85, she just couldn't deal with him any more. He was killing her off due to lack of sleep.

Best wishes but get help soon. It's not unheard of for someone to turn on the stove and then forget it's on.

Dale

You have started a painful journey. Prayers for you and your family.
I would agree with the advice to seek medical and legal opinions.

Ernie

My brothers and I went through this with Mom. Dad took care of her quite well until he passed. We saw that Dad was declining quickly and interviewed a number of home-care firms. We hit the jackpot and employeed a wonderful Russian lady with some nursing background and an infectious joy for life. Mom got to stay in her home where she was comfortable; that was a promise we made to Dad. Other than the ocassional moments of stress (she kept wondering when Dad would come home "from his trip") she was content until the day she peacefully passed.

Look into this option to see if it is workable for your family.

Sorry, to hear this, but isn't uncommon. Going through the same with my father who is 86. Can remember being in the phillipines, age eighteen, and all that is old and familiar but cannot remember what you said five minutes ago oe what he had for lunch.

Time for special help. It's a hard time but it's life here.

I moved in to Mom n Pop's place a couple of years ago to help them out.
Since then Mom has been move to a Nursing home as she needed 24hr care. Mom remembers hometown when she was a kid, schoolmates, teachers, etc but doesn't always remember us kids or the grandkids or even being married to Dad.
Always asking "Where do you live?, Can you take me to my house?, How are my Mom,Dad and Grandpa?" All gone for 25+ years.

Get your Dad diagnosed asap and start thinking about a safe place for your Dad to be! Check online for Alz.Org and related for resources, help, suggestions.
It not gonna be easy but sooner is way better than later!

Of the 5 old ladies I take care of, 2 have both. My Aunt Jane is 89 and is as quiet as could be. She just sits. We get her up to go to the bathroom and to eat, and we put her in bed and help her get up to go to the bathroom a couple times a night. She fell and broke her leg and is in a nursing home trying to recover. I hate the place and the way they are treating her and I'm trying to get her home. I had a couple hours of time with a social worker today. The other is 93 and is a lot worse. You have to watch her. She has gone through a number of changes over the years. Her thing today is eating her napkins. She doesn't know they're not food. She will stare at them, rip them in pieces and arrange them on the table, and stare at them for hours. She also has a thing now where she shovels food in her mouth and doesn't swallow it. You have to watch her, stop her, and make her swallow her food. She won't swallow pills so we give them to her in apple sauce. She will eat it all, and keep scraping at the cup with the spoon like there's still some there until you take it away from her. She gets up every couple hours and you've got to put her back to bed or she will get dressed and sit at the table. All night if you let her. Before this, she did word search puzzles all day long. Before that, she sent checks to everyone who sent her mail and we had to take her check book. She was sending money to ministers, Audubon, PETA... Whoever sent an envelope and a request for a contribution. She also snuck food. She'd take pockets of food to bed. We'd find bread hidden all over her room. No one ages the same, but she's a piece of work. We all pitch in to help, but we're looking for a CNA to help us now, especially since were trying to get my Aunt Jane home. I'm there 7 days a week, most of the time, but it's getting to be too much for me.

Yes, twice. I'll save the details as it's simply another version of an unbelievably cruel story that countless families have, are, or will live through.
I'll just say waiting one more day does zero good and likely signifcant harm. Get him help right now and assume it will get worse faster than you can handle.
Does break my heart to remember though...

My MIL has Alzheimers, Damn scary disease,

MIL came over for one Christmas and everything was ok,

The next Christmas They came over again, and She couldn't find the Bathroom, at all...

She lost all her Mind/Memory in 12 months.

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.