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11-21-2007, 09:28 PM #1SiennaMoonshine Guest
I read this statistic in the train station in DC. It seems like many of the older people who live beyond seventy are experiencing this dilemma and losing their memories. However, I have learned that the disorder can strike anytime after the 40's and that AAs are at risk.
Do you know anyone with this disease ?
How do you help or cope ?
I have a recently diagnosed loved one. My dh happened to play the DVD for the movie "50 First Dates" where Drew Barrymore's character has no short-term memory. Her dh finally created a movie to refresh her memory. This way, he didn't have to "relive the day they met" all over again to refresh her memory. She would get up, watch the DVD and "remember" . In essence, he put her 'memories' on DVD; creating an electronic memory for her.
I think I have enough pictures to create such a DVD for my loved one.
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01-13-2008, 09:01 AM #2
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I read this statistic in the train station in DC. It seems like many of the older people who live beyond seventy are experiencing this dilemma and losing their memories. However, I have learned that the disorder can strike anytime after the 40's and that AAs are at risk.
Do you know anyone with this disease ?
How do you help or cope ?
I have a recently diagnosed loved one. My dh happened to play the DVD for the movie "50 First Dates" where Drew Barrymore's character has no short-term memory. Her dh finally created a movie to refresh her memory. This way, he didn't have to "relive the day they met" all over again to refresh her memory. She would get up, watch the DVD and "remember" . In essence, he put her 'memories' on DVD; creating an electronic memory for her.
I think I have enough pictures to create such a DVD for my loved one.
[/b]Uzuri - May 2006 NoTM
Joined NP on 2003
last chemical fire cream-April -May 2002, Cut off all relaxed hair-Nov 2nd 2003
Loc´d Dec 11, 2011, redid some on Jan 1st, 2012
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01-13-2008, 07:56 PM #3Validated and Nappified
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I read this statistic in the train station in DC. It seems like many of the older people who live beyond seventy are experiencing this dilemma and losing their memories. However, I have learned that the disorder can strike anytime after the 40's and that AAs are at risk.
Do you know anyone with this disease ?
How do you help or cope ?
I have a recently diagnosed loved one. My dh happened to play the DVD for the movie "50 First Dates" where Drew Barrymore's character has no short-term memory. Her dh finally created a movie to refresh her memory. This way, he didn't have to "relive the day they met" all over again to refresh her memory. She would get up, watch the DVD and "remember" . In essence, he put her 'memories' on DVD; creating an electronic memory for her.
I think I have enough pictures to create such a DVD for my loved one.
[/b]
Hi Sienna. I'm sorry about your loved one. My granny was recently diagnosed with alzheimer's, and hers is accompanied by psychotic symptoms. During her recent hospitalization, she would constantly ask me the same thing over and over every 2 minutes. She always loses things and then says "the people" stole her stuff. She has short term memropy problems, but not as severe as others. Below is part of a post I wrote in another forum.
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My granny is 70 y.o., and has been suffering from delusions, dementia and hallucinations. She places clothing on inanimate objects b/c she thinks they are "people," she thinks other people live in the house with us, says they come through windows and key holes, says she sees dead bodies, covers mirrors b/c she thinks the reflections are really another house or people waiting to snap naked pictures of us to post on the internet, loses herself and totally disassociates from this world by dressing in her sunday's best and standing in one place for hours as if she is really in church, etc. On Monday, she called the cops and told them she saw dead people on her floor and that she smelled smoke. They came with three fire trucks and found no dead bodies, so they took her to the psychiatric ER. I've spoken to her several times a day since then, but haven't seen her since Monday morning b/c visitors weren't allowed. I'll be visiting her today b/c she's been transferred to a geriatric psych unit.
It's such a scary process.
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My granny's doctor was gracious enough to give me a copy of this book to help with coping called The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for Persons with Alzheimer Disease, Related Dementing Illnesses, and memory Loss later in Life by Nancy L. Mace, M.A., and Peter V. Rabins, M.D., M.P.H. You should also look up your local Alzheimer's Association branch. Their website is invaluable, as is this book. Also get Mothering Mother: A Daughter's Humorous and Heartbreaking Memoir by Carol D. O'Dell. It was rather therapeutic for me to read about someone going through the same thing as myself. A new movie called The Savages is about a family faced with having to place their father in a nursing home due to Alzheimer's. I plan to see it in the near future.
As for tips, the biggest one will be patience. Be patient with your loved one, and this will be hard at times. Aslo try to simplify their life: decrease clutter and make things easier for him/her to find. For example, my granny oftentimes forgets my phone number. So, I wrote all important numbers on a piece of paper and taped them on her nightstand. I keep her medications, important papers, medical insurance and ID cards, extra copies of keys, etc b/c she tends to lose stuff. Also be understanding. Your loved one may be in denial about what's happening or may not even realize their mental faculties are deteriorating. It's a scary time for them too. I've learned that it's more important to make them feel secure than for me to be right. Watch your loved one in the kitchen, b/c they often forget that something is on the stove. Granny burned two post within the last couple of weeks. Make sure you have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Get a support system. You may need others to be at home with your loved one when you're not around. Make sure your loved one maintains his/her social network: go out, talk on the phone, watch TV, keep his/her mind stimulated. Now is the time to also consider getting the following legal documents: health care proxy, living will, durable power of attorney, will, estate planning, etc. to deal with the time when your loved one will not be competent enough to deal with his/her personal affairs. Cry when you need to. Get away when you need to. Take care of yourself b/c if you don't, you won't be able to take care of your loved one. I think I'll also start compiling a scarp books and memories for my granny and of my granny.
I'm currently looking into getting a home attendant for my granny and looking at adult care centers.
It's been hard to see my granny deteriorate, and it will most likely get worse. But, I just take one day at a time and cherish everyday I have with her. There are good days and bad days and really bad days. I spend time with her, take care of her and try to make her happy. That's all I can do. That's all we can do. A couple of my blog entries are about my granny's Alzheimer's. Feel free to check it out. You, your loved one, and your family are in my prayers. :hug:
P.S. - I also read that AA are particularly susceptible to Alzheimer's / dementia, particulalry vascular dementia. The reason for this is that we are more likely to suffer from hypertension and high cholesterol, which can lead to strokes. Mini strokes can decrease oxygen to the brain, cut off blood supply, cause brain damage and the reulting dementia that is seen in Alz patients. This isn't noticed until it's too late and symptoms have started. There are drugs that help with the dementia / confusion and memory loss.Check out my blog Macaroni and Cheese: Reflections on Life at http://msjboogie.wordpress.com
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01-14-2008, 08:48 AM #4SiennaMoonshine Guest
^__^ Thank you. That information is very helpful.
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03-05-2008, 06:40 PM #5Active Nappturality Member
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A few years ago, my grandmother dies from Alzheimer's. She got is around the time I was 8 and was basically a vegetable for over 23yrs. I think she lived that long because my grandfather took good care of her. He was/is a pastor of a church, but always kept her at home and hired a nurse to watch her while he was at church.
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03-06-2008, 03:51 AM #6
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My late father-in-law suffered from Alzheimers for over 10 years. The wicked thing about this disease is that the person looks relatively healthy in the earliest stages.
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03-07-2008, 03:29 PM #7
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ITA.... Alz is such a hard disease. Not only does it affect memory but also affect vision and hearing. It's not uncommon for people to have a decreased visual field, auditory and visual hallucinations. Plus, it's not just a matter of reminding the person, because they may have lost the brain cells to retain the information. The good thing is that there is lots of research in the area. And there are medications that can help slow down the deteriation from the disease, but you have to start on the meds in the early stages to recieve the most benefit
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03-07-2008, 03:39 PM #8
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ITA.... Alz is such a hard disease. Not only does it affect memory but also affect vision and hearing. It's not uncommon for people to have a decreased visual field, auditory and visual hallucinations. Plus, it's not just a matter of reminding the person, because they may have lost the brain cells to retain the information. The good thing is that there is lots of research in the area. And there are medications that can help slow down the deteriation from the disease, but you have to start on the meds in the early stages to recieve the most benefit
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