Anyone have a close relative with Alzheimer's or dementia?

[rorydaboss]

I think my pops might be getting a little too forgetful. He is about 55. It is terrifying. He used to be so sharp but he seems to be losing it, forgetting little things. He won't remember things that he has bought or that he has seen a movie before or something. Anyone have any experience with this?

 

[JuniorSonGoku]

It might be time to see a doctor about getting him tested. The worst thing to do is let it go undiagnosed.

I'd just take it one step at a time, there is no sense in making your own diagnosis until a doctor sees him.

 

[808Darce]

It might be time to see a doctor about getting him tested. The worst thing to do is let it go undiagnosed.

I'd just take it one step at a time, there is no sense in making your own diagnosis until a doctor sees him.

This ^

And yes TS, my grandfather went through this for a few years prior to his death. It is a horrible experience that I don't wish on anyone. But, please do see a doctor first before making assumptions that may or may not be true.

 

[rorydaboss]

My dad is pretty stubborn. I don't know how he will react to being sat down and told he should go see a doctor about it...but it needs to be done. I am not around so my brother and possibly mother are going to have to sit down and do it though. Hopefully he will go to the doctor willingly.

 

[dimi108]

Those are definitely signs. Take your father to get tested so at least you can plan ahead.
To be honest, you will get use to it. At the start it's a bit depressing especially remembering how sharp he was before and seeing him as the main authority figure in your life.
But you will get use to it. His personality won't change. He'll just be a bit forgetful that's all.

My grandmother has dementia. She's 87 years old. She was diagnosed in 2009 and she started showing symptoms back in 2004.
She's fine.
The only thing she has trouble with is remembering what day it is. But she's still okay and holds a good conversation and joke around with me.

She even asks me if i have "karate" class tonight lol

 

[BKMMAFAN]

It might be time to see a doctor about getting him tested. The worst thing to do is let it go undiagnosed.

I'd just take it one step at a time, there is no sense in making your own diagnosis until a doctor sees him.

Absolutely this. Don't let it go undiagnosed.

 

[nostradumbass]

Those are definitely signs. Take your father to get tested so at least you can plan ahead.
To be honest, you will get use to it. At the start it's a bit depressing especially remembering how sharp he was before and seeing him as the main authority figure in your life.
But you will get use to it. His personality won't change. He'll just be a bit forgetful that's all.

My grandmother has dementia. She's 87 years old. She was diagnosed in 2009 and she started showing symptoms back in 2004.
She's fine.
The only thing she has trouble with is remembering what day it is. But she's still okay and holds a good conversation and joke around with me.

She even asks me if i have "karate" class tonight lol

It really depends on the case. My grandmother had dementia and her personality did change. She started hearing marching outside her window a few years ago and eventually started accusing her kids of trying to kill her and going into long sobbing fits. They had to put her in a hospital and she died not long after. The thing is it only gets worse once you have it so every day is better than the next. Her husband also had Alzheimer's and died about 15 years ago so it's not looking for me in the future.

 

[dimi108]

It really depends on the case. My grandmother had dementia and her personality did change. She started hearing marching outside her window a few years ago and eventually started accusing her kids of trying to kill her and going into long sobbing fits. They had to put her in a hospital and she died not long after. The thing is it only gets worse once you have it so every day is better than the next. Her husband also had Alzheimer's and died about 15 years ago so it's not looking for me in the future.

I'm sorry to hear about your loss.
You're entirely right though. Each case is different.

OP keep us updated with the results.

 

[J0N0]

My Gran had really bad dementia, and I've started seeing signs in my mum lately (she's 60). She says some super dumb stuff when she clearly knows the correct answer.

..why are you guys talking about diagnosis, there's no real prevention is there?

 

[rorydaboss]

My Gran had really bad dementia, and I've started seeing signs in my mum lately (she's 60). She says some super dumb stuff when she clearly knows the correct answer.

..why are you guys talking about diagnosis, there's no real prevention is there?

From what I have heard they can slow down the progress with drugs and things.

 

[J0N0]

right, ok

 

[T Rollie]

My grandmother has it. Most of the things that always defined her are gone, she is a shell of the person she once was. I love her, but I don't know how much value her life has at this point. It's a terrible disease.

 

[ToxicShocker]

a family friend who was like 50 went full blown retard, pardon my use of the expression. He was like Jeopardy intelligent and in a matter of two or 3 years he lost probably 80% of his cognitive ability. His wife sold their house and had to move them into assisted living just to help take care of him.

Its pretty sad when its that bad. My grandma had a stroke and lost her short term memory but she is still functional.

 

[2O9ESE]

When I was a kid I had a great aunt who was a millionaire back when it actually was a big deal. Her husband dies and she suffers from dementia. My family thinks she is going to go quick so they stick her in this home thats 100k a year. They would put her hair into two braids. She winds up living 18 years in this place and pisses off my money vulture hungry family, so they send her to this cheapo home. Instead of braiding her hair they shaved her head. It wasnt pretty

 

[Captain Davis]

Two of my grandparents died with it. Its very difficult because they forget the most about the people they were closest to.

 

[Captain Davis]

When I was a kid I had a great aunt who was a millionaire back when it actually was a big deal. Her husband dies and she suffers from dementia. My family thinks she is going to go quick so they stick her in this home thats 100k a year. They would put her hair into two braids. She winds up living 18 years in this place and pisses off my money vulture hungry family, so they send her to this cheapo home. Instead of braiding her hair they shaved her head. It wasnt pretty

Karma will make sure nothing good comes to them with that money.

 

[Francis Rossi]

My gran had it too. She got seriously bad before going into a specialist home, where she actually got better for a while before rapidly going downhill and dying. I guess getting better isn't the correct term, as no-one recovers from Alzheimer's (Ernest Saunders aside...), but she was eating properly and that sort of thing, which probably got her back to where she should have been. Living on her own, she wasn't eating, wasn't sleeping properly, and was doing things like going to the shops in the middle of the night wearing her nightie and a cardigan, and leaving the door wide open.

 

[treelo]

my nan had this and it destroyed her from diagnosis to death in less than 2 years

she went from being one of the brightest sensible pensioners(she was about 78 diagnosed) to a wreck who was incapable of doing anything for herself once she was admitted to a home

i will always remember her as a proud stubborn women who held was held in very high esteem by anyone who met her, and she was a huge influence in my life and how i chose to live my life my own way

spend as much time as possible with your loved ones if you know they wont have a long time left, i used to visit her most days while she was in hospital and while it was heartbreaking to hear her whispering to me that all the family wanted her dead and she wanted me to sneak her out, it was comforting to know that she still knew who i was and trusted me(when she felt she couldn't trust anyone else)

i didnt go and see her in her last few months of life and didn't allow my children to either, she had deteriorated to such a point where i no longer recognized her as the person she was and her not recognizing me would have been devastating to me

RIP Muriel Mc

spend as much time as possible, once they are gone all you have are memories, just make sure the memories are not of someone you didn't recognize anymore

 

[Dinkin_Flicka]

My dad is pretty stubborn. I don't know how he will react to being sat down and told he should go see a doctor about it...but it needs to be done. I am not around so my brother and possibly mother are going to have to sit down and do it though. Hopefully he will go to the doctor willingly.

It will be tough for everyone, no matter how stubborn they are. People have spent their entire adult lives raising families and supporting themselves, then they have to try and accept that they're losing it and now they shouldn't do simple things like drive a car.

My wife's--> uncle's--> mom got hit pretty hard with it in her mid 70's. We would go to family functions and at first she just had a hard time remembering names, which then turned into forgetting who people were. She had a bad case and it moved pretty quick and they finally had to admit her when she was roaming around outside in her sleepgown and tried to fight her neighbor.

Sorry to hear about this, hope it goes well when you try to tell your dad.

 

[MixMartialFarts]

My grandma was the kindest most loving person I had ever known before she had dementia now she is a shell of her former self. Its not fair watching someone who never did any wrong to anyone suffer with this in her final years.

The scary part is the disease is getting more and more common in the elderly and they are not sure what is causing it.