Hi, i'm new here. I've been browsing around and I learned alot from all these posts and I would like to first thank you for your help.
My father was diagonosed with Dementia about 3 - 4 years ago. After he lost his job (I believe it was cause of his memory loss) he just started going downhill. We brought him to the doctors and they said he was in the early stages of Alzheimer's. Currently, they said he is now in the 6th stage. He cannot go to the washroom without making a mess, he thinks people are yelling at him, he cannot remember alot of things (except for bad things in the past), he cannot focus on things and he loses his temper alot. When we try to take him out, he tries his hardest to walk away and he thinks that every little kid around him is his grandchildren. He has many more symptoms but I guess it would take alot of space. Anyhow, the only thing about this is that he's only now 59 and turning 60 in November. His younger sister has something wrong with her too, i'm not too sure what it is but they just told me she went crazy.
Is he too young to have it? When I tell people he does, they don't believe me because of his age. I'm afraid that it's not Alzheimer's. Alot of times he talks to himself or someone in filipino and when i try to talk to him, he only talks filipino which i do not understand. Anyhow, any advice would help me.
Oh and he also will not let any doctor do any tests on him. When i took him to get an EEG he got so mad and kept walking out.
Gigi (what a pretty name!) it sounds like he does have Alzheimers or another type of dementia. It is not too early since it happens sometimes in younger people. I am so sorry you have to go through all this. This site can be very helpful just for moral support and also for advice. It is a horrible disease. I am hoping that research will continue to make it easier to treat and someday even to prevent. This is my advice to the new young people "on board": don't worry about your own future. By then there may be an easy way of preventing it. When I was a child polio was raging, my own sister got it, and we were all scared to death of dying of it ... now it is virtually wiped out. That seems like a long long time ago but it was in the 40s and 50s, and I am now still a 'young' 66.
If we try to do our best with the person we are helping to care for, we will learn how to cope with this horrible disease. My Mom has it and she is 96. We are lucky she was normal until around age 91.
It is the world's hardest job to be the caregiver of a person who rages at you, doesn't appreciate you, is annoyed by the necessary restrictions, forgets what you said or even that she just saw you. etc. I did it for 5 years and my brother then took over.
Do the best you can, but have a life of your own outside of care giving since it can consume you if you let it.
Most caregivers have siblings who do not help as much as they should. You need to get their attention and demand help.
I pray for everyone on the Board every day, and you are now included.
Has your father been going to a neurologist. Maybe he can give him some medicine to calm him down - or his family dr.. Also, some alzheimers patients do not do well (the further along they are) outside of there well know areas. They get very confused and react in different ways. 6 is pretty far along. I think my father is a 6 also. He is just the milder type ad patient, so far!
I hope you can get your father to go to the drs. offices. My dad love dr. offices, I think he likes the attention!
I agree with Martha on the caregiving issues. All we can do is try to help them, and have patience. That is the hardest part of all for me. My dad does not understand, why we try to "rush" him. He just goes slower everyday. Have much, much patience and understanding and love!!! Good luck to us all. And take care of yourself.
59 is very young to have this awful disease. But there have been rare instances of people in their 30's getting it. I wish there were a definite way to diagnose this but there isn't. Unfortunately, the only way they can diagnose AD with 100% certainty is by autopsy.
There are drugs out there that can slow the progression. And an antidepressant worked well to stop the angry outbursts in my dad. If your dad isn't on an antidepressant already, it is very much worth a discussion with his doctor. My dad hasn't had any violent outbursts since being on Zoloft.
I'm so sorry that your dad, you and your family have to go through this. It's not easy for anyone. But we're here, like Martha said, for suggestions on what has worked for us and moral support. Many of us don't get even the moral support from family. It helps all of us to know there's someone out there who understands.
Thank you so much for all the support. I feel as if no one understands what my family and I are going through. Sometimes when I tell people about my dad, then give me this blank stare as if they dont know nothing about it.
My mom feels that when we give my dad medications that's when it gets worse. You know the days when the temper goes up and the hallucinations start. But I dont' know what else to do. We plan on putting him in the day programs for him to have some company since my maternity leave is going to be up next week and no one will be with him.
I feel so helpless sometimes because my father doesn't know me or gets mad at me for trying to help but i'm happy to find support here, making me know that I am not the only one who's going thorugh this.
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