Alzheimers**Update pg 2**

[lisajl]

Not to bring anyone down today, but does anyone know anyone with this nasty disease?

C.Ann's post about her mom makes me realize more and more that my mom might be in the first stages of it.

When my DH and I had her over for Christmas yesterday she could not remember my youngest son's name. She forgot that she had 5 children, she said she had four. There are a lot of little things like that going on.

She had Christmas cards for my kids with $10 each in them. Well...she lost them. She is so upset. She keeps calling me and asking me if I have found the cards yet.

If anyone has any info, I would love to know what to do.
My brothers and sisters..all older than me...do not help mom at all.
Lots of old stuff they have not forgiven her for. I guess it is up to me.
Thanks for any help.
Lisajl

 

[Blondie]

I don't now if my 90 y.o. grandmother has Alzheimer's or is just plain old senile.

The other day she said she had lunch with her neighbor that's been dead for 20 years now.

Then she told my mom that her roomie at the nursing home was made a policewoman, they gave her a badge, a police cruiser and everything.

It's hard not to laugh sometimes, it really is sad.

Why not let a doctor diagnose your dear mom? There are some new drugs on the market that can improve (or delay) Alzheimer's that seem to work wonders for some patients. Namenda and Aricept are two of the medications you might want to ask about.

Good luck!

 

[Blondie]

Oh, and here is a site that you might find helpful.

 

[lisajl]

Thanks for the suggestion...I will have to go to the doctors office with her.
I asked her one day what all her medication was for and she could not tell me.

It is very scary!

 

[RUDisney]

If she doesn't know what her meds are for, you need to find out, even if it's by writing down their names and doing an online search. Someone (you) should know what she is taking and why. If she'll let you, go to her doctor appointments with her and talk to her doctor.... ask the questions that you want to know about. If she refuses, call the doctor and provide a list of questions for the doctor, or give information that your mother may withhold from him/her.

My GMIL had alzheimers. They tell the story about Aunt Margie's wedding day. She was fine when she woke Margie up that morning and told her to get in the bathroom before her brothers hogged it. By the time Margie had dressed and came downstairs, her mother asked her where she was going all dressed up. That's the day that the family figured that she probably had it.

Her brother died about 5 years after she did, from alzheimers, too. Makes you wonder about the genetics of the disease.

 

[cati]

xx

 

[lisajl]

Cati,
Yes, you know she seems to remember things from long ago, but not today.
My sister did try to contact mom's doctor but of course they will not divulge anything.

I think my mom is starting to realize that something is wrong.
She is scared and so am I.

I guess it is also frustrating that no one else is helping. My sister that is 5 years older than me, helps out a lot, but is kind of mean to mom.

Our oldest sister could care less, and my brothers could care less.

I told mom I want to go to the doctor with her the next time she goes. She has an appt on Jan 19. I found the card at the bottom of a pile on her kitchen counter. She said it was for a perm appt. I told her no, it's for a doctor appt. We argued for a couple minutes until she turned it over and saw her doctors name.

It should be interesting...it is going to be a long road.

Thanks for the help.
Lisajl

 

[RUDisney]

What you have to do about your siblings is take whatever help that they offer and don't expect them to offer.

When my grandmother was dying, my parents were the only ones who would help her. My dad is one of 6, but one of his sisters had previously passed away and one lives in Idaho, so distance kept her from being able to help with daily things. Of the 4 who could help, one was his brother... who lived WITH my grandparents. He "just couldn't bring himself to help Mom when she's so sick." One aunt felt guilty, so she stayed over one night to take care of gram. My parents did the rest. They'd stay over her house (45 minutes from ours) on a regular basis. They'd go to the hospital every day, sometimes several times while she was there.

You know what? My parents don't ever have to look back and feel guilty about what they did or didn't do. My aunts and uncles can't do the same.

You will feel better in the longrun for having been kind to your mother while she needs you. We're here when you are at the end of your rope to "listen" and "talk." Take whatever social services are offered to you... Knowing that meals-on-wheels is coming with her lunch can take that burden off of you, etc.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if you found out that it is a mix of her current meds that is causing this and by cutting out something or swapping it with something else could be here "cure"?

BTW, once you start going to her appointments with her, the doctor should be more agreeable about discussing your mother's medical issues with you.

 

[cati]

xx

 

[sha_lyn]

there are other conditions that have the same symptoms also. My grandmother had dementia brought on from mini strokes that were caused by the large swings in her blood sugar levels and high blood pressure. When she was being tested the Dr's also tested her for a type of seisure disorder that can show up in later years.

If she lives alone there are some measures you can take to help keep her on her own longer. With my grandmother we realized she kept getting confused over what could be used to cook in differnt appliances. I would catch her heating up leftover in a margarine tub in the oven, or trying to use a metal pan in the microwave. We had to pack up some items and discontect some of her appliances. She owuld alos forget what she could or could not eat, and sometimes would forget to eat. We had to monitor every grocery that went into her house, and we had meals on wheels deliver her lunch every week day. We had several people to stay in phone contact iwht her throughout the day, and a business owner next door to her apartment was extremely helpful in keeping an eye out for her. When it finally came time that she wazs contantly putting herself in danger, we moved her itno an assisted living facility where several of her friends already lived.

If I had it to do over again, I think I would have moved her 6 months sooner. I feel that too much damage was done to her health in that time and she owuld have lived longer had she been in supervised care earlier.

 

[Disney Doll]

I am not meaning to sound sarcastic, but I heard a doctor very aptly describe the difference between Alzheimer's and "normal" old age forgetfulness.

Normal Old Age Forgetfulness: You can't find your car keys.
Alzheimer's: You can't remember what your car keys are for.

 

[lisalynn]

My mom was diagnosed with Lewy Body syndrome (a combination of Alzheimer's & Parkinson's) almost 5 years ago. It has been a very tough road to travel! It is very important to find a doctor that will work not only with your mom, but also is willing to work with the family. That can make all the difference. I know what you're going through & will keep you in my prayers. Please feel free to pm me anytime!

 

[C.Ann]

My Mom had numerous tests done by her physician - as well as a complete psychiatric workup - and the final word is "no Alzheimers yet.."

All I can think is - "It can get worse than this??"

My Mom is on NO meds at all - she's very healthy for 85 - so it's not meds that are making her think and act strange.. Just severe dementia, I guess..

Like your Mom, she can remember things from a LONG time ago quite well, but more recent events are a nightmare.. Sometimes I can't even carry on a conversation with her on the telephone - it's literally impossible..

I never really know how to treat her because if you go along with what she's saying she just gets more and more excited and agitated - but if you don't go along with her she's liable to haul off and smack me one..

It's a tough thing to deal with, but I guess all we can do is the best we can do..

 

[Val]

My MIL is 81 and shows all the classic signs....she is currently visiting from the West coast (for THREE weeks!). She is combative, you must agree with her or she follows you- but then forgets why she is mad at you, and is constantly forgetting/losing everything. My DH absolutely refuses to deal with it, although he sees it. He says he can't confront her, because she is his mother and it wouldn't "be right". My worry is that she is not functioning well at home- she lives alone and still drives (has had at least 3 fender benders in the last three months, too!). I can't do this for him, and am so worried that something tragic is going to happen. Just hope that it involves no other innocent victims!

 

[bumcat]

See if you can sign a consent form with your moms permissin of course. I signed a consent form so my 17 yr old daughter could have access to my medical records. I have recently been diagnosed with rheumatoid and osteoarthritis and figured it might be helpful more so for the future.
I'm afraid a co-worker of 20 plus yrs is also showing small signs of altz. It's so sad.

 

[Mskanga]

Lisa please check your pm's.

 

[catsrule]

My Uncle has it, he is 80. He is on medication to slow it down. He and my Aunt, also 80, still drive down to Florida every winter instead of flying. They always get into an arguement with their adult children over this every year, they insist on driving still!

 

[Deb & Bill]

My father had it and died from it just under two years ago. He was diagnosed about 8-10 years earlier. He got very bad in the last two years. He started going to a day care facility about a year or two before he died. He started going for full time care on weekends about four months before he died. He was a resident in an Alzheimer's facility for about the last four months of his life. He went downhill very rapidly in the last two years. My mother took care of him by herself until she was no longer able to. Three of us helped her as much as we could. They sold their home and moved closer to my sister and brother for his last two years. It was very hard on my mother. Her health suffered badly during the last two years.

He came home one day from work and told my mom that he had turned in his retirement papers that day. She was stunned that he hadn't discussed it with her. But he told her that he wasn't able to remember how to do so much of his job and it was very hard for him. He retired when he was 65 and died when he was 80. When he was first diagnosed, he told people that he had Alzheimers. Later on, he hardly spoke at all. He got combative with different people. He was very confused about the time of day. He couldn't dress himself and even when my mom put his clothes out for him, he didn't know what went where and in what order.

My mom is forgetful at times, but she doesn't have Alzheimers.

 

[lisajl]

Oh boy! This is the best place to go to find answers.

You all have been so helpful. We are going (my sister and I) over to moms place tomorrow to help her clean.
I think I will try a little test on her. See if she knows what some of her stuff is used for.

It was is hard for my DD to see Grandma like this. She said, "It is so sad to see Grandma like this." My sister and I were discussing mom and her condition in another room. My DD came in and said, "We can hear you, Grandma is getting mad."

Again, Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I will definately be emailing those that have offered. I think we are going to need all the help we can get.

Bless you Dis people!
Lisajl

 

[Mskanga]

Lisa, you can throw questions here and there and see what she answers, my mom was at one of her tests and the doctor asked her for family health history, she forgot that my dad had died.
Best of luck to you my friend, keep in touch.