Well, he's still hanging in there and I took him with me to the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre. He met some people he knows so it was good to get him out of the house.
Glad to hear that . Seldom, Take him to Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre to meet the people he knows. It will give him some "feel good" kick in mind
Im so sorry cant imagine what you are going through but if you ever need someone to talk to in here my friend my prayers for your dad and you and your family.
Excellent point. I visited a man with Alzheimers as my Dad was developing what we all thought was the same. This man was very negative-minded, pouty, kind of a "What are you doing here!!"attitude. Experiencing that was the first time I thought maybe my Dad didn't have Alzheimer's after all. As I said in a previous post, his autopsy proved I was right.
Sorry I missed this Jeff ever since I moved to Texas and inherited twin boys life is hectic. I'm very sorry for your dad's diagnosis. Alzheimers took my beloved grandmother from me some years ago. It broke me then but she lives on in my memories and all of them are happy and joyful ones that I feel privileged to have. Cherish every moment my friend and remember the Lord has blessed your father with a very long life. You are in my prayers my good friend.
Thanks so much Roby. This means more to me than you can imagine. Dad is still hanging in there but his decline is also continuing.
Of course it is difficult. Just be the man your dad raised you to be. You have a lot of support here.
Thinking of you Jeff. I'm sure this is putting a lot of strain on you. Stay strong and rest when you can. I agree with you about treatment; minimal results for a short period of time. Have you looked into any community resources that might be available?
Yes, we had a social worker come and speak to my parents and she is going to try and get them some services. Dad himself has always been a very independent kind of guy, (also VERY STUBBORN!) but he sees now that he needs more assistance. The medications for Alzheimer's, in my honest opinion are next to worthless in about 75% of cases although I must say that Dad seems to have been lucky in that respect because he still knows who we are and where he lives. He started off with the Exelon patches which I personally insisted he stop because they were giving him irritation, redness, and itchiness. Our GP switched him to Donepezil and that seems to be keeping him from going down too sharply although he has noticeably to us declined. There are other medications such as Seroquel or Halodol which a lot of doctors prescribe for dementia patients if or when they become uncooperative or aggressive but I'll NEVER and I repeat NEVER allow Dad to take them because they're very risky. These medications come with an increased risk of cardiac problems, strokes, or even sudden death so there's no way I'll allow him to even touch them. I thank you for your concern.
Once again I feel blessed to have friends as wonderful as you guys are. This is helping me to keep my sanity.
