Alzheimers.

[Mick Stockbridge]

My father-in-law has the onset of Alzheimers. If anyone else on here has ever dealt with it my wife n I would very much appreciate any advice.....

[Jellystock]

My father-in-law has the onset of Alzheimers. If anyone else on here has ever dealt with it my wife n I would very much appreciate any advice.....

 

I don't think that anyone will answer Mick, they'll all be expecting you to be setting them up for a joke.

[Andy Collins]

No advice Mick, but my mum was a nurse for EMI (Elderly Mentally Impaired) patients, and she said that the patients dont really understand that they're "ill" its the families who have the struggle. Its terrible to see people mentally deteriorate, and be powerless to do anything about it. Make sure they get the best care when they need it, and dont struggle to cope. All the best.

[Mick Stockbridge]

This is no joke Jelly. My father-in-law Sonny Mcbride was once a very well respected and well liked man and to see him scared and bewildered is very sad.

[John Russell]

The first thing is to make sure make someone close in the family has 'enduring power of attorney' (google it for more info) -- best if it's a couple of his children. If you don't do that it can lead to major problems.

 

My mother has dementia. It's hard to deal with, though luckily she's now in a good home. There are a number of forums for those caring for people with dementia (again, google them) -- I can recommend them.

 

The early stages are in some ways most difficult but it's important to move fast and get everything under control -- don't wait for problems to build up.

 

Best of luck.

 

JR

[Ian H]

Mick I don't mean this as a joke but try googling 'alzheimers and caffeine', there's some interesting anecdotal evidence that it can have a very powerful affect on the proteins responsible for cognitive function.

 

Here's a link to one article

 

Daily caffeine dose may delay progress of Alzheimer’s, researchers say - Times Online

 

Hope it helps

 

Good luck

[TimberCutterDartmoor]

See if you can dig out the radio 4 interview (must be online somewhere) with John Suchet about his Wifes alz/dementia. Well well worth a listen - about 30 minutes long I think...

 

Alzheimer's Society comment on John Suchet speaking about his wife's dementia - Alzheimer's Society

[alex_m]

i believe keeping his house free of clutter and very simple to find things will help.

[Tommy_B]

Sorry to hear that Mick. As Andy said, it doesn't really affect the person that much, they don't really realise that there is a problem. Its a lot harder for the family to deal with. My Grandmother had Dementia for years before she passed away this summer. It was hard to watch her forget things that you had just told her, then pluck some fact out of the air that had no relevance. The biggest problem that we found, was she would ask for things from my Grandad and he would get them for her. Food was normally a bad one. He wouldn't like to admit that there was a problem so would think that was what she really wanted. In the end, when my Mum was looking after her, she was just saying "This is what you asked for" even when it wasn't. Very sad to watch the decline.

[Stephen Blair]

sorry to hear that Mick, i have only ever seen documentries on the telly, very very hard on the family and friends.

When my granny got elderly she would forget to eat and drink and this would then lead to problems. I think the Legal side of things like power of eterney and the will is VERY important to address now, seems harsh but human beings and money can get ugly no matter how close they might be just now.