Alzheimer's Disease

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5 Comments

Comment by Shirlg on July 15, 2008 at 11:02pm

I have Younger Onset Alzheimer's Disease and am living positively with it.
I love to be able to help others who are sharing this journey either as a person with dementia or a special person who is assisting with the care of some one with a dx of dementia.
SarahLiz, I understand that it would have been hard for you watching your Grams go down hill but it was so important for her that you were still there for her.
Some of the research has shown that even when we reach the stage that we don't appear to have any reactions or recognition of anything or any body we are still aware and loving or fearing, pleased or dissappointed with situations. So thank you on her behalf for being there for her.
Best wishes
Shirlg

Comment by ihatesnow on June 25, 2008 at 4:40pm

check out this research group ....they are trying to find a cure for all kinds of disease http://boinc.bakerlab.org/rosetta/ http://imminst.org/

Comment by SarahLiz on June 18, 2008 at 11:58pm

My Grams passed about 6 weeks ago from Alzheimer's and so it's a really emotional subject for me. I watched her memory go, then her personality go and then watched as her self-care-ability go. It was incredibly hard to watch her go because she was just a shell of herself. I'm thankful to see other people around here who have so closely had to deal with this dreadful disease.

Comment by Wendy Gammon, M.A., M.Ed. on April 21, 2008 at 3:21pm

Hi Jack, I am glad to meet you and understand what a long journey you traveled with your parents. I know what an impact this must have had on all of you. A close work colleague of mine went through this process with her mother, and she had to bear it alone with no supportive family and the other parent having passed years ago. I think the greatest frustration for her was trying to make the hospital geriatric "team" understand how dangerous it was for her mother to live alone. The elderly woman hid everything (including her medications), gave money to strangers and often did not change her underclothes for days. Yet her doctor felt that as long as she was "alive" from day to day, all was in order and she could stay in the house. It was not until she actually wandered away from the house that she was deemed "dangerous to herself". However, in the year leading up to this, there were many incidents equally as dangerous, including times when she left the burners going full blast on the stove, and took some fairly severe falls walking out onto the ice to get her mail though promised repeatedly that someone would bring in her mail and daily paper. Of course, she forgot anything within a moment of being told.

Her mother is now in a pleasant and bright nursing facility and her Alzheimer's progresses. But she is safe, clean, properly fed and has her daily meds on time by friendly staff in a cheerful environment. My friend now sleeps through the night for the first time in years. Most of all, she does not have to submit to those dreaded team meetings that always ended in tears and frustration.

Welcome Jack and I hope we can offer support, information and understanding.

Comment by Jack Barrette on April 10, 2008 at 4:59pm

I helped my Mom care for my Dad "through" Alzheimer's - he died a few years ago - and feel lucky that my Mom survived. Children of Alzheimer's parents have a lot to offer each other, and I can't wait to work with you all.