Dementia

[gianthogweed]

i have a aunty who has Alzheimer's she has had it a number of years now she has been in a care home for about 7 years it can definitely a prolonged agony for the person and the persons immediate family the guilt of passing the care on to others i am sure it can be consuming
the bright side the people that work in such places are amazing

 

[fatshark]

I guess the positive way of looking at what I am trying to say is that they have lived long lives, and that unfortunately more and more people are going to experience dementia as the majority of people are living longer, which is a good thing for the most part. Anyway, I'll shut up now, and please don't think I am trying to denounce the horror of dementia, I'm not.

Having seen members of my family being reduced to the level of little children through the ravages of old age and Alzheimers, I will be treating myself to a bungee jump/skydive/jetboat excursion as a birthday present every year from age 65 onward. This ticker is gonna have to prove that its got what it takes to get me through another year. Twice a year if I get to 75. And hopefully it'll give out before my mind.

Hmm, I would find that strange logic indeed. I worked in a dementia care home and, while I enjoyed it, I found it depressing in equal measure. Towards the end of my time there, they brought in this new thing of having scrapbooks in each resident's locker. Basically, the family would fill out information about how the resident used to be, what they liked to do, their job etc. and paste in loads of photos. Although I considered myself pretty good with the residents, it was the first time I ever gave genuine thought to the long, eventful lives they had prior to my encounters with them. I almost cried at some of the stories.

I would hate to think my body was being auto-piloted in that sense for the closing years of my life and it's a shame that there's no legislation in place to protect the right to die. The one thing that would make me want to opt out of life is the one thing that removes my cognitive ability to do so.

Mate, respect. Just visiting old age homes is tough for me. What a great idea that scrapbook is - preserving dignity and allowing the family to remind themselves of the memories of the resident in their prime. I will be doing that if my relatives ever find themselves succumbing to dementia.

 

[HSD]

My Nain(Grandma) had it before she died and I only saw her once/twice a year because I live nearly 400 miles away. It was horrible, so many times we had to explain who we were until it was just easier not to and let her tell us all these stories from when she was younger - she was a completely different person.
At the same time my Taid(Grandad) I think he was getting it, and nobody warned me and I was in their house and he looked at me asked if I'd ever been there before. Literally ripped my heart out. Completely. He's 95 and was part of D-Day. If he ends up forgetting everything it'll be heartbreaking.

 

[peteblue]

Some heartbreaking stories here.....really sad for all involved..........