Alzheimer

My grandfather had it and it is easily the most frustrating disease going. The victim is in every way normal looking. But the short term memory cannot be expressed. I don't know how frustrating it must be on the inside, but to those outside looking at someone with this, they are a pitiful mess.

Rage is common in those with this, and I can certainly understand why. And it finally takes it's ultimate toll by reducing the stricken person to a state similar to infancy again. Then, death finally relieves all concerned.

I want to die before going through anything like that.

I have worked with many people with this disease. It truly is sad. It sounds like you are wonderful in handling a person suffering with this disease. Animals can be such a gift in situations like this. This lady may not know it but she has a gift in you. I know it breaks the hearts of family members as well. Although their loved on is alive, they have lost them and that is devastating. Keep doing what you are doing and you will both be blessed.:-)

When my grandparents were in the nursing home, I spent a lot of time with the Alzheimer patients. Their brain is scrambled & their thoughts jump all over the place. They have little memory of the present; although they have a pretty good grasp on the past. Personally I think they know that their brain isn't thinking properly & they get frustrated. She knows Gissi brings her a lot of happiness, but she can't remember why. It is sad for all the people around them to watch as it happens. However, their brain doesn't allow them to worry about it.

I used to have a client where I worked that had Alzheimer. During September 11, 2001, she was horrified that they blew up the building. 5 minutes later she was calm as could be. She loved watching the news. Every time they showed it, she'd run down the hall screaming the basterds just blew up my home. Then she'd calm back down & was fine until the next time they showed it on the news. It was terrible for her daughter. For her it was an instant of being upset & then her short term memory blocked it out & she'd forget even being upset about it. So, it was much harder for her daughter than is was for her.

An old boyfriend's grandmother had it. She couldn't remember her own children's names. During one of the rare visits by all her children at the same time, she was having a problem knowing who any of them were. The youngest said I was your favorite child. She roared in laughter & said bill chit, you were the biggest pain in the asss I ever squeezed out now what's your name??? She would also turn mean at the drop of a hat, cursing & hitting anybody close to her. She was finally kicked out of the nursing home because she became so mean & violent. So, be careful while you're visiting as she could turn on you in a skinny minute.

The same boyfriend's father developed Alzheimer too. He tried to choke his wife. I lived close to them & he'd show up in front of my house. When I asked him why he was visiting me, he'd say the cows got out & his Mom was going to beat his asss for letting them get out. I'd say I think the cows have gone back to the barn & he'd look around & say yes you're right. & then he'd go back home. If his son showed trying to get him to go back home, he'd beat the crap out of him.

They don't know they have a problem so they have very little stress. It's the caregiver that takes on ALL the stress. I could go on & on, but I hope this might help a little.

My grandmother had it. The first indication that I had that something was wrong was when she asked my uncle, her son, to call me and tell me that she wanted to see me. This grandmother, whom we called "The General" because she was always bossing people around, was so nasty that I hadn't seen her in years. All of a sudden, she wants to see me?

Well, I went to her house and took my baby son with me. When I got there, she seemed to like my visit but didn't know who I was. She kept asking me who the baby belonged to, over and over. People called my grandmother "Mattie" and my son's name was Matthew. She liked the fact that I called him "Mattie" as well. She wanted me to come back often to see her. Well, she wanted me to bring my baby to see her.

But, it wasn't long before she was put in a nursing home. I did go to visit her there, along with my sister. I am blond and my sister had brown hair. My grandmother had two daughters, one with blond hair and one with brown hair. She thought that my sister and I were her two daughters, our aunts.

Alzheimer's is an awful disease. It can be extremely frustrating for those who have it, especially in the beginning when they can still realize that they keep forgetting things, but it can be overwhelming to their caretakers. Having to repeat things, over and over, while remaining calm is, I would think, almost impossible to do. Also, knowing that this person usually has no concept of time and has memories all out of order, thinking that something that happened 40 years earlier just happened yesterday, getting angry when you try to correct them, would drive me crazy!

Knowing that, since my grandmother had it, I could get it, I'm doing all I can right now to keep my brain active. I've learned what it takes to keep the brain stimulated so it won't be ravaged by Alzheimer's, at least that's the hope.

Well as ya know my mom has short term memory but think she is loosing more I always wonder now if she knows who she is talkin gtoo at the time.
adn she isnt answering the questions my brother and wife puts to her right getting worse at thiat I think as brother only tellas me that.
not sure either that she stays awake long enough to talk about daddy months ago she told me that she still missed him but hasnt said anything about him in a long time.

hi gabs how wonderful of you and Gissi to stop in to see
'her, and how sad for her to be like that. Oh I know
about this disease quite well. I saw my mom fade away'fro
reality and forget things, and eventually she did not'know
who I was, she thought my son Robbie was Bobby a nephew
of hers who had been dead for years. It just broke my
heart to see her slowly changing and not knowing what to'make
of it when she could not remember things. at the last she
said, I should know you, you are pretty, you know me'dont you? I had to leave as I was beginning to cry. my mom meant the wor ld to me and to see her go like that was really heartbreaking.
But one good thing everytime I saw her, I told her that I loved
her, and at times she did know me. so when she died before I got
back to see her again I felt good that I had told her I loved her the last time I saw her.m That is one big reason why I work hard to keep my mind active and sane, I do not want to go like my mom did. hugs to you and my pal Gissi. love hatley

Good for you for treating her with such respect!

I'd imagine it will eventually get to the point where her daughter is going to be forced to pay her more attention or possibly even put her in a home. Sad.

We had a neighbor, Joe, when we lived in our first house. He was a lot like my Father-in-law, actually, very talkative and nosey and in everybody's business (but in a friendly way). Then he got Alzheimer's. Suddenly he didn't recognize anybody and he was always wandering away and getting lost. It was sad to see how he changed. He just wasn't the same person any more. I got pregnant and we moved to a better neighborhood shortly after that and he died not long after. Sad...

Hi Gabs,


You and Gissi are truely an angels to this lady when you can bring a smile and friendship to her, but I cannot understand her daughter and husband to treat her like that, people who suffers from this illness don't know what they are saying, as I know too well with my moter-in-law, she accuse me of stealing from her purse when her purse is always in her house coat, she also used to accuse her son and daughter of all sorts of things, but everbody had patients with er and understood what is going on, the only time she came back as her normal self was the day she died, so I hope this lady's daughter will come to realize that and be more understanding to her mother, it is so sad but thank goodness to you and Gissi, bless you Gab you are an angel. Love you lots.


Tamara
xxxx

This is a disease which results in the degeneration of the mind.
The well known case I can bring to mind is that of a priest who was instrumental in founding social care in my country of Trinidad.
Its hardly been in my family but there are a lot of stories of it around the place here in Port of Spain.

Yes, I do. My late grandmother had it. She died when she was 91. She was fortunate to not get to the point where she never recognized us. She knew us. She actually died of heart failure. But the Alzheimer's was getting worse. To continue to give my grandmother independence, her oldest daughter and son-in-law moved to where she lived and built a house next door. And my grandmother never once had to move out of her own house. I think we were grateful that she went before someone had to be with her 24/7.

My grandfather, the only one I've ever known, has dementia. My Nana is taking care of him, but I don't know how long she'll be able to do it. He's gotten himself into trouble when he didn't know what he was doing.