Alzheimer The Great Thief updated Mar 03, 1999

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If you have recently received the news your

loved one is suffering with Alzheimer, or senile dementia, you already know why I call Alzheimer the thief.

So much is stolen from you as your family member changes . I know how it feels to hate

this condition, and hate watching someone you care for slip away. I have been through it twice with two of the people I loved very much.

I took care of my mother, and a few years later

her sister. I had to watch them drift farther away from me each day till finally they did not really know me. I know how much it hurts.

You can either be grateful for each day you

have left or waste the time feeling bad, or mad,

or worse resenting the person with Alzheimer.

After being diagnosed with Alzheimer most

people have a life span of 3-5 years. With some

the condition advances faster others may live beyond 5 years, but their time with you is measured.

This becomes very hard on the family that tries

to do everything themselves. You must reach

out to the resources the community offers. You can find out what is available to you through the unbondsman program, a center for older people,

if your community has one. through social services, and through the local hospitals.

Taking care of someone with Alzheimer

becomes increasingly difficult as the decease progresses. They will need assistance in all

daily activities. As dressing, going to the bathroom, bathing, and eating. Some people become wanderers. (They will wonder off and

not be able to find their way back) They will

forget to eat and not be able to keep their medication straight alone. These are the chores which sometimes overwhelms the caregiver.

Get as much help as you can. You need a good backup system. After all the necessities have been addressed you need to take care of

yourself. Give yourself some time away from

the patient.

Trying to restore the person to the way they

were is futile. There is progress being made and much can be done, if this condition is caught in

the early stages. If the one you are caring for

has gone beyond this point you only waste your time and effort, and set yourself up for failure by trying to bring the person back to what you once knew them to be.

Take each day as it comes, and spend your time with them in the place they are. If they tell you they have been talking to a deceased member

of their family, don't argue with them. To them

it is very real. If they tell you they have been outside working in the yard, on a trip, shopping,

or whatever, don't dispute them. In their mind

they have done those things. Talk to them, laugh with them and do the nice things for them you

are able to do now. You will not have a second chance.

As we are all different so Alzheimer patients are

all different. Some will find a lot of comfort in a doll, or stuffed animal, others will like having a mirror, others may mistake the person in the mirror as a threat and be frightened. Adjust their surroundings to fit their needs.

My thoughts and prayers go out to you. I know exactly what it is like.

I am not a DR., and I do not offer any medical advice. I am a doughtier and niece who has lived through this invasion by

Alzheimer. If I can be

of help to anyone, or encourage anyone I will be happy to do so.

If you have comments or questions E-mail me

and I will post you comments or questions.

Or go back to the welcome home page and post to the message board