Finally got to see my mom Saturday. Posted this on the covid thread, but fuck covid and fuck covid truthers. She's probably 20 pounds lighter since March, can't eat on her own, is barely audible and we couldn't really get her to look up or focus. When the hospice nurse said 3-6 months I was originally upset but at this point I doubt it goes that long, and honestly that's OK. There's not much left other than a shell. I'm glad she's OK at her facility and maybe this was a bad day but other than seeing my dad passing from cancer this might be the hardest thing I've ever seen.
Is anyone concerned about getting Alzheimer's/Parkinson's/dementia? I have family history of it. Over the last few years, I feel my memory has gone to shit and it's become very difficult for me to keep my focus (I'm 37). In reality, it's probably due to the fact that I don't sleep well (usually about 5 hours/night) and am just overly sensitive to my family history. Regardless, since that study came out last year linking anticholinergics to dementia, I've cut out all anticholinergics (antihistamines like Benadryl and many sleep aids, like Trazadone, Sominex, and Advil PM) out.
Not me but extremely concerned about my wife. Her great grandmother died from it and her great aunt will soon. Her grandmother, mom & aunts starting to repeat stories a lot and having memory lapses
My dad has Parkinson’s and we have a history of dementia in the family. I’m 42 and definitely forget words mid sentence which concerns me. My wife doesn’t think it’s a big deal because she says I’ve always talked/communicated like that.
Definitely concerned. Dementia on multiple accounts on my mother’s side and multiple Alzheimer’s on my dads. I’m just banking there’s some cures or strong treatment at least that comes available in the next 20 years
i dont have a family history of it really but I do have a lot of CTE risk and from my experience alzheimers is by far the scariest way to go for me after experiencing the full breadth of ways to go so yes
I MAY get to see my mom 2nd week of Sept. if no more workers show up with fevers. I try not to worry about it, but my kids are terrified they will get it, it is all over their family trees...both sides
Elon Musk's Neuralink technology seem promising on the dementia front. Although I'm not sure what to think about becoming a quasi cyborg
I know. There's nothing I'd like more than to be able to get in bed and stay asleep for 8 hours. But my brain just will not shut down, and when I do fall asleep, it's usually only for a couple hours at a time. I've seen specialists and taken every medicine under the sun for it.
My mom actually beat Covid at her facility where 20 people died. She was doing so well they graduated her out of hospice and I got to see her last weekend and her transformation is actually a medical marvel. She's falling now and fell for a second time today and they think she had a major stroke. Were getting hr back into hospice tomorrow. Right now it doesn't look good, but we've done this five different times and she bounces back. Hopefully shes got a few more lives left.
Its been the best thing to happen to me in the last year. When I saw her last there was literally nothing there, but when I saw her there was so much of my mom. The snide looks, the talking even if they weren't words and she seemed so much better. It was really good. If shes up for it I'm gonna try and see her after I meet with hospice.
Ran into my old boss and her mother who ran a company I used to work for. Found out the mother has Alzheimer’s. My heart just sank when she told me. They treated me like family and I am still pretty close to them but hadn’t seen them in a while because of Covid. There’s just something about a person getting a fact wrong and telling you it’s this disease that kills a small piece of me every time.
is this about Beeds07 mom? i really would love for this update to be about his mother and how much better she is doing now.
So mom is adamant that she doesn't want other people to know about her condition, but... it's definitely noticeable at this point. Anybody have any experiences to share about navigating those waters? To a certain extent I feel like if I'm asked, I'll just give up on honoring her wishes (because it's getting to the point that she isn't going to be totally aware of what others know anyway) but I'm definitely weighed down by the obligation to keep a secret/honor wishes.
Just saw this thread. My wife is a Physical Therapist that works in UFs neuro outpatient clinic and sees patients every day with Alzheimers, ASL, and Huntingtons disease. If anyone has questions that you feel she might be able to answer or help with I will gladly post her responses!
It’s not easy, but the key is to do what she wants to now. I hope this doesn’t sound callous (I’m so desensitized to all of it right now) but it won’t really matter at a certain point. The key is to keep her happy right now. My mom started that way but as it worsened, she would readily admit she had dementia when she got stumped or confused. I’m not sure how far along your mother is right now, but just remember, never correct her, be supportive and if you ever need to talk or vent, DM me.
Thanks for the light touch but I'm pretty close to viewing the situation as having reached the "doesn't really matter" threshold as it is (which is just to say that it's probably beyond her to keep track of who knows what about the situation anymore, and people have definitely noticed enough to be curious.) Just figured I'd see if anyone had thoughts on that transition or some perspective I hadn't considered.
So my sister and I told our mom's close friends on the dl. Most knew something was off. We kept her routine in place as long as we could. We'd bring her to work and let her do whatever but not actually if that makes sense. Losing her driving ability was set up w her doctor and I switched out keys. Note: she was aware something was wrong and took test on her own. Took us to hear results and around that time she kind of retreated and self-isolated ie stopped going to church and going to every speaker at Clinton Library. Kept doing soup kitchen w me tho til the end of living at her home alone
My parents are visiting for the first time since February 2020. Lots of fun dealing with that for the past couple days. My dad makes no sense anymore. He just has conversations about nonsensical shit. I feel like a sociopath because I’m looking at this person who is not my dad anymore. It’s his body, but everything else is gone. Yeah, my dad is sitting across from me, but it’s not really him.
Damn man. I get it. It's like my dad isn't even the same person anymore. He can't even manage to do basic functions like eat or bathe unless I remind him several times. My mom and I aren't close, so it feels like I am without any parents now. 2021 has been one hell of a year.
My dad is still 6’2” and 225lbs. I wrenched my back this morning getting him to sit down. He missed the chair and was going to fall on his back/head. I had to take on that weight so he wouldn’t get a (maybe) concussion. My mom takes care of him 24x7. She is miserable and depressed. Since she’s a boomer, therapy, problem solving, etc are all out of the question. It’s a pretty helpless thing to watch. On the positive side, the only time he is happy and laughing is when he’s doing shit like this: Motherfucking Al Bundy Polk High superstar here.
Fortunately I can say it hasn't gone this far yet, but he is definitely rapidly declining and probably isn't far off. It's awful to watch.
I feel like this disease needs to go away. Fantastic movie here for anyone who hasn't directly interacted with it.
My parents are visiting again. By far the worst my dad has been. He just sits slumped over and drooling in a chair. Barely talks, completely immobile, and is just miserable. Honest to god…kill me before I have live like this. This shit is just exhausting and tragic.
Thanks. It’s sad, but not sad sad. It’s just heartbreaking and tragic. The sad ship passed a long time ago. I’ve been fortunate enough to have great parents that never really seemed like real people. They were/are just my parents and they never let me down. My dad isn’t the 75 year old dude shitting his pants and wearing a bib to eat. He’s just my dad. Or he was. Now he’s different.
It's like, not even *that* bad yet, and I already fucking hate it. It's damn near impossible to enjoy anything together as it is (sees like shit, hears like shit, can't track details and is always confused) and there's only a negative trajectory. Shit is trash.
Found out my grandma has dementia during covid times. The last 1.5 yr + has been really tough with the isolation. When I visited this summer she forgets she can speak English so everything is in Spanish. My brother couldn’t talk to her. She couldn’t walk on her own and she wasn’t sleeping or eating. I just saw her last night and she is so frail and could barely speak. When I entered the room her eyes were open but she wasn’t moving. I thought she was dead. The shit sucks man, she was the center of the family and the holidays without her energy, cooking, and conversation just hits staggeringly different
My dad turns 75 today. Just FaceTimed him. He’s in a bib while my mom feeds him McDonald’s chicken nuggets because he’s not coherent enough to choose a birthday meal. He had no idea who I was. [sarcasm] I’m really looking forward to this in 25 years. [/sarcasm]
My Dad died suddenly and relatively (?) young at 80. He was razor-sharp until the end. My mom made 93, and only in the last months did she start slipping. I am hopeful of many more years of shitposting coherently.
Happy birthday to your dad. I’d keep an eye on your mom because caring for him will take so much from her.
He goes to an activity center twice a week, but that’s it. She views it as a failure (and has said as much) to get help. We’ve all told her how that is likely impacting her quality of life in the future. They have a few years of long term care, but she won’t use it until he is further along.
Mom's 64. Has slipped fairly precipitously during the pandemic. Had a feeling this would be the last xmas she'll remember, and the time around and since that has really only confirmed it. We had a really good one, just her and my dad, her oldest sister (who i suspect also has it, but she's older and it's probably more like mild cognitive impairment at this stage), my sister/BIL, my wife and our now 3 year old dtr and 4 month old son. Laughed and sang a ton. She told my dad later that that was the happiest Christmas she's had since me and my sister were little and she could "die with a full heart now" New in 2022-- she can't remember my son's name and she can't go to the bathroom by herself. Fuck this pandemic in its evil asshole.