Caring for relatives with Alzheimer's : the modern curse of the elderly

[Bill Ryan]

-------

Dear All,

Alzheimer's Disease (http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_what_is_alzheimers.asp) is a twenty-first century scourge. It's the medical name for what used to be called senile dementia.

I've been meaning to post this for quite some time. One of the mods (Billy) is currently taking care of his elderly and infirm mother, and behind the scenes we give him all the moral support we can. So I am very often reminded of the topic.

Rather than discuss possible treatments or remedies (and I can maybe offer some interesting perspectives later in the thread), I wanted to open up the subject for discussion and exchange of experiences — because MANY people nowadays have family members who are suffering.

And the carers suffer, as well. It's a terrible thing.

My own personal experience concerned my father, who died, aged 84, in 1986. The last two or three years of his life, he was felled like a giant oak tree. He had been a brilliant, maverick, powerful, charismatic man. The last few years, he was a lion in winter, reduced to the demeanor of a child.

My mother took care of him herself at home, right to the moment he died. It was a heroic, near-thankless and herculean task.

An Alzheimer's sufferer often does not know what day it is or even who they are, cannot sometimes recognize close relatives, and may not be able to dress themselves, tell the time, go to the bathroom, or cut up their food. Their short-term memory retention is sometimes down to as little as a minute or two.

What is really terrible (especially for the carers) is that there are sometimes periods of lucidity, where the person seems to return to awareness and be pretty much 'normal' for a day or two.

But they then sink into the swamp again. These repeated false dawns can be devastating for someone who has steeled themselves to come to terms with a profound loss.

~~~

I lived not too far away at the time (about an hour's drive), and was able to visit frequently and support my mother in every way I could. I learned at first hand that the tiniest thing could make my father desperately anxious.

For instance, my mother found that it worked well to leave large notes, on a noticeboard by a large clock, always in the same place, explaining (e.g.) that she had gone out shopping at 10.00 and would be back by 11.00. (This was necessary, because if my mother just TOLD him she would be out, he would have forgotten within 15 minutes and would be in panic about why she had suddenly disappeared.)

But then, she HAD to be back when she stated. Or else, the panic would kick in... even if she returned at 11.02.

She also found it very helpful to leave points of reference (what happened yesterday, what would happen tomorrow) clearly written on a large wall calendar. That provided a degree of continuing stability and certainty. As often is the case with a child or a pet, especially one difficult to manage, very regular and structured scheduling seemed to work quite well.

When he died, it was a provident mercy. My mother was determined not to put him into a nursing home (often another terrible place to be). But towards the end, her very life-force was getting more and more sapped every week that passed.

After he died, I spent a lot of time with her helping her rebuild and renew herself (she was younger than him, and lived, eventually very happily and actively, for another 20 years). For a while, she could scarcely believe she could leave the house and do whatever she wished.

Her world had been so much about him, every minute of every day, that when she found her freedom again, she had no idea what to do with it. It took pretty much a whole year for her to fully recover her normal vitality again. (But she did!)

I'll pause now; I know there are many on the forum who have a deep personal acquaintance with all the above... and I welcome hearing from them here. Carers can sometimes grow very, very alone and isolated, and so this thread may provide some opportunity for support and connection.

[wegge]

this comes so timely there was just today an argument in my family about who is taking care how much and why and how much should you do it how was it the times before blabla...

[Latti]

I can feel for Billy caring for his mother. My mother had Alzheimer's disease and I didn't live nearby, but she did have my father and sister-in-law to care for her.

Not being around to help made me feel guilty; so, when I retired, I became a Certified Nurses' Assistant (CNA) to care for the elderly. My first job was in a Veterans Nursing Home where I spent time on the dementia wing. Residents were restricted to either their room, hallway or day room.

Many residence were in good physical health, but most could not remember what they did five minutes before. They wanted to get out of that place and go home. My responsibility was to distract them and get their mind on something else such as playing games. It required constant diligence and some days I was responsible for up to ten (10) residence.

One person can't provide proper care for that many people with dementia. After a few months I left the Veterans home and started doing in-home care. Now I spend four (4) hours a day caring for one person.

There is a great need nursing homes and nursing home workers, but if you have a loved one that can be cared for at home, please try everything possible to keep them at home. People with dementia don't understand why they aren't allowed to go home.

Most nursing home workers are wonderful compassionate people, but from my experience, they can't provide proper care for all of those they are assigned to care for.

Tomorrow will be my 72nd birthday, but as long as I'm healthy, I intend to keep doing in-home care. If we live long enough, we may all, some day, need a caregiver.

[Mike Gorman]

Your experience with your father sounds tragic Bill - it echoes what happened to my father who had also been a 'force of nature'. Following the death of my mother in 2004 he
began to start doing 'weird things' - it is as if the organizing and solid influence of his wife being absent brought on his dementia; he claimed there was a young woman
living with him who moved things around and came home late all the time - a handy scapegoat for him losing things and the place being untidy! But it got worse and he did increasingly strange and
florid things until my younger brother stepped in and put him in a nursing home (he lived nearby). I went to visit my father quite a bit in his final years, he did not know who I was, and he hallucinated
continuously - it is very upsetting, but to the person themselves it is not distressing, they just fade away, they become 'Wraiths'. Anyway my father died a year ago at the age of 90. The dementia 'epidemic'
seems to be a modern phenomenon, you have to wonder if it is caused by all the various additives in our food, water, some other agency - or is just because we tend to live longer? I don't know but it does seem strange.

[regnak]

Alzheimer's Disease from what I have read I am not a expert is a third form of diabetes. Diet does affect the mind because toxics build over time in the body which must be cleaned out slowly.

Modern medicine works for big tablet companies and does not encourage natural healing it is better to work with the body natural defences which have been doing excellent job but sometimes need a boost

Sick people should give up food for up to six weeks taking only water and vitamins the body needs . The body can overcome the illness however with the huge unhealthy food intake the body because overloaded cannot cope and the problem builds I am not a expert in this just with unhealthy diet most people eat is not good for you I read it from a Mexican shaman somewhere years ago seek more informed advice for serious medical complaints but can you consider food as a medicine which is what it is

Medical Qigong well yes can help it both rebuild and cleans the system diet advice should be found serious advice the exercises in medical qigong should be done and a positive attitude helps .if this is not possible look up the water cure written by a priest more than 100 years ago which is what im readings at moment looks interesting

[spiritwind]

My husband and I cared for a woman with advanced Alzheimer's for one year, our job ending with her dying in my husband's arms on the way to the hospital. One of the most challenging, yet strangely rewarding, jobs my husband and I have ever had.

My husband was a medic during much of his military experience and did have some limited background working with this as part of his education, but mostly he was performing emergency medicine and had no desire to go into this field. We were told by her daughter when hired that she had mild dementia, but shortly after moving in we realized she had far more than that.

On the negative side it was very hard to see her deteriorate and see the lack of quality of life. Because she was almost blind and couldn't hear well it was hard to come up with anything she could do to help her engage. She did have moments when she was aware, and I know she actually heard and understood more than she could respond to. But it was a general downwards spiral that was hard to be a witness to. Out of her 3 daughters only the one we worked for felt any responsibility toward her and for years they didn't even come to see her. She would call out for them on occasion.

We played gospel music and Lawrence Welk for her, even though we couldn't stand to listen to them. Finger foods that she liked, like watermelon were good. She loved her popcorn. But her world was infinitely small.

On the plus side it gave my husband and I an opportunity to grow together as a couple, and as individuals, as we continuously had to adapt to new behaviors that were sometimes troubling and hard to deal with, like when she started saying "I don't know what I'm doing" for hours on end. I did manage to occasionally reprogram that to "I don't need to worry, I just need to relax". It was interesting to watch her go from being visibly tense to seeing her actually calming down when I was successful. She also enjoyed a gentle bit of massage on her shoulders which she always held Really tight. Probably because of all the falls she took before her daughter hired us. She had been living alone for considerably longer than she should have.

Probably the hardest thing was just to keep bringing myself back to a place of acceptance and genuine empathy for her, accepting that we wouldn't be able to really make things any better. She did initially improve with better diet, but even though she was physically a bit better, she mentally still continued to slide downhill.

So all in all, I now see this as a blessing in disguise. Usually someone's passing is a sad event, but in her case we were very happy for her to finally be released. And I am changed in a positive way from the experience.

I am looking forward to hearing other's experiences as well.

One last thing is I want to stress the importance of being able to get a break. Any kind of break. We found almost no one wanted to watch her for us because they just couldn't handle it. Even her daughter kind of left us to be her sole care- takers. I could not have done it alone.

[Joe Sustaire]

Wow!
This is a tough topic for me to address as I am still in the midst of it. My wife Patty was diagnosed in Nov. 2010 with moderate to severe dementia/alzheimers. She has been my "soulmate" for 43 years. She just this month turned 81, I'm 64, so yes she's 17 years older than me. I was a 20 year old art student in college, she was a 37 year old social worker with 3 kids, 6 to 10 years old. Not much in the way of logic to recommend our relationship, but our hearts said this was special, and we listened.

We left the "rat race" over 25 years ago and moved to 40 acres in the Ouachita mountains of southeast Oklahoma. Back in the woods 2 1/2 miles up an abandoned railroad track completely off the grid, and Patty was as glad to get here as I was. So thank goodness we didn't procrastinate. We've had 25 years of living our dream, close to nature, working as a team, doing what we wanted to do.

But this has been tough! For three years I was able to keep her here at home and take care of her. Our youngest son, Steve, moved back from Lake Tahoe to help me take care of his mother. A true blessing for all of us. Last year she reached the point where she didn't know where she was and just wanted to go home, even though she was in her home of 25 years. She couldn't be left alone at all, didn't know the way back to the house from our walks outside even though the house was in sight. And remember we're in the middle of the woods, nearest neighbor 2 1/2 miles away. Often didn't know me and "what do you think you're doing? You're not sleeping here!" So I set up a single bed so I could be close for when she would wake up during the night not knowing where she was.

Our off grid lifestyle didn't make it easier either. It's dark when you wake up in the middle of the night, not being able to leave a light on. I found some battery powered led motion activated lights which helped that problem. If she moved a leg or sat up. a light would come on. No washing machine or flush toilet, or ready hot water for bathing. We do have a siphon flow from the pond above the house to the kitchen sink. And yes had become totally incontinent by this time as well.

Her tolerance for hot or cold temperatures was also a difficulty, heating with wood and no ac for the summertime. But her wonderfully strong will and independent nature was still very much a part of her, and she never recognized that she had a problem, so trips to town for shopping or laundry were fun also.

So at this point Steve and I decided we had to make the tough decision and place her in a nursing home. Steve did the scouting and was feeling pretty bad about what he was finding when someone he met in his search recommended one. Turned out to be the one. It's 50 miles from where I live but it's a very loving place and they have taken good care of her. I'm able to get over there 3 to 4 times a week and we smile and laugh, hold hands, kiss and help each other to feel loved. She can't tell you my name or what our relationship is most of the time, but we are able to connect and share our love. She is still my babe. It's a blessing.

She has been there a little over a year. So yes, the day to day pressures on me have eased, not having 24/7 responsibilities for her, but emotionally it hasn't been easy. Being soul-mates, for 43 years I have been "Patty and Joe", now I'm having to try and learn how to just be "Joe". And for 43 years we really didn't need anyone else, we had each other, and that was enough, now I have a lot of hours to fill each day, day after day.

As a boy scout at camp one summer we hiked to an old overhanging cave on the Brazos river where a hermit had lived for many years, and I thought, this ain't so bad, I could do this. Now, I am one.

Enough for now, maybe I can help someone else deal with this devastating disease.

Love!

[Pam]

Bill, thanks for providing us a place to reflect on caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's. My father died from Alzheimer's as well. He was once a brilliant man with many interests and it was tragic to watch him waste away over the years. There was a lot of denial regarding the diagnoses of the disease, he used humour for the longest time to hide what he was experiencing. I am kind of blown away how willing we were to put our head in the sand to avoid the truth. It was such an ugly thing to have to accept.

He totally depended on my mother. She cared for him for years until she was injured and we placed him in a assisted living home. The first one was disastrous. They did not know how to deal with him. He was very much like a 3 year old child and became very frustrated because he could not communicate his needs. We finally found a place where he was well understood and he did very well there. Allowing him his own schedule, which was really important as he would stay awake all night with hallucinations.

I felt a lot of guilt as I was limited in the amount of assistance I provided due to work. It is really, really hard watching your father, who was such a figure of strength, slowly deteriorate mentally and physically. I really came to see the strength of character my mom had, working so hard to take care of him and exhibiting the same loving care she provided for us as small children. She was endlessly patient with him when he had angry outbursts, or when she had to tell him the same thing for the hundredth time. I am crying as I write this, so I guess the pain of the whole experience never really goes away.

[Pam]

Wow!
This is a tough topic for me to address as I am still in the midst of it. My wife Patty was diagnosed in Nov. 2010 with moderate to severe dementia/alzheimers. She has been my "soulmate" for 43 years. She just this month turned 81, I'm 64, so yes she's 17 years older than me. I was a 20 year old art student in college, she was a 37 year old social worker with 3 kids, 6 to 10 years old. Not much in the way of logic to recommend our relationship, but our hearts said this was special, and we listened.





We left the "rat race" over 25 years ago and moved to 40 acres in the Ouachita mountains of southeast Oklahoma. Back in the woods 2 1/2 miles up an abandoned railroad track completely off the grid, and Patty was as glad to get here as I was. So thank goodness we didn't procrastinate. We've had 25 years of living our dream, close to nature, working as a team, doing what we wanted to do.

But this has been tough! For three years I was able to keep her here at home and take care of her. Our youngest son, Steve, moved back from Lake Tahoe to help me take care of his mother. A true blessing for all of us. Last year she reached the point where she didn't know where she was and just wanted to go home, even though she was in her home of 25 years. She couldn't be left alone at all, didn't know the way back to the house from our walks outside even though the house was in sight. And remember we're in the middle of the woods, nearest neighbor 2 1/2 miles away. Often didn't know me and "what do you think you're doing? You're not sleeping here!" So I set up a single bed so I could be close for when she would wake up during the night not knowing where she was.

Our off grid lifestyle didn't make it easier either. It's dark when you wake up in the middle of the night, not being able to leave a light on. I found some battery powered led motion activated lights which helped that problem. If she moved a leg or sat up. a light would come on. No washing machine or flush toilet, or ready hot water for bathing. We do have a siphon flow from the pond above the house to the kitchen sink. And yes had become totally incontinent by this time as well.

Her tolerance for hot or cold temperatures was also a difficulty, heating with wood and no ac for the summertime. But her wonderfully strong will and independent nature was still very much a part of her, and she never recognized that she had a problem, so trips to town for shopping or laundry were fun also.

So at this point Steve and I decided we had to make the tough decision and place her in a nursing home. Steve did the scouting and was feeling pretty bad about what he was finding when someone he met in his search recommended one. Turned out to be the one. It's 50 miles from where I live but it's a very loving place and they have taken good care of her. I'm able to get over there 3 to 4 times a week and we smile and laugh, hold hands, kiss and help each other to feel loved. She can't tell you my name or what our relationship is most of the time, but we are able to connect and share our love. She is still my babe. It's a blessing.

She has been there a little over a year. So yes, the day to day pressures on me have eased, not having 24/7 responsibilities for her, but emotionally it hasn't been easy. Being soul-mates, for 43 years I have been "Patty and Joe", now I'm having to try and learn how to just be "Joe". And for 43 years we really didn't need anyone else, we had each other, and that was enough, now I have a lot of hours to fill each day, day after day.

As a boy scout at camp one summer we hiked to an old overhanging cave on the Brazos river where a hermit had lived for many years, and I thought, this ain't so bad, I could do this. Now, I am one.

Enough for now, maybe I can help someone else deal with this devastating disease.

Love!



What a beautiful love story!!!! Thank you for sharing a most personal and touching part of your life with us. You have friends here . You are not alone.

Pam

[angelfire]

Thank you also, Bill for sharing this and my heart goes out to Billy. My mother died of dementia in 2004 and to me it seemed the very cruellest of illnesses, for all concerned. I am an only child and was a working single mother at the time, living in Scotland while my mother was in the south of England. I consulted my doctor about whether I should consider having my mother stay with us and she strongly advised me against it. And so a lot of guilt was experienced because I knew I couldn't look after her myself although I visited as often as I could. Eventually after two disasters of care homes, we found a place in a wonderful small nursing home, well equipped to care for those with advanced Alzheimer's, with a family orientated and extremely caring atmosphere and a few pets around which gave my mother moments of fleeting joy as she had always been a huge animal lover.
I can think of no worse way to end one's life and I will never forget the heartbreak of watching my mother, in her more lucid moments, struggling to retain remnants of her memory amidst the realisation of what was happening to her.
It's very, very tough for the family and carers, but also, I think, a privilege to be able to offer such loving support and care for a loved one with such a frightening and debilitating condition.

With much love for all the wonderful carers out there.

[Tesla_WTC_Solution]

thank you Bill, my great-grandfather served in the Army during the Normandy Beach invasion.
he suffered injuries resulting in long term exposure to lead. he developed severe dementia.

his sweet nature was the only reason we were able to keep him at home.
my mom was often asked to do some of the bathroom stuff because he was hostile to the older people.
I was about 11 or 12 if even.



he had one of those lucid moments the summer before his death.
he cut some apples for me and sang a song about flowers.
it was the last time he spoke to me. because of Alzheimer's I never did have the chance to know my great-grandfather the way that others did.

we suffered through the twilight of his life while others remember him differently.
I know what you mean.

and yeah even at age 31 it's scary to know, the age is getting lower (when people get alz)
...

a few years ago my great-grandmother on the other side died of Parkinson's.
it's maybe worse than Alz because there is no lucid dawn moment for them.
only the stillness.


it's a very tough subject.


regards for Billy who is experiencing this firsthand.


cry/hug

[Jean-Marie]

My mother died of early onset Alzheimer's at age 70 in 2004. Instead of looking at the tragedy that took place with losing who she was, my husband and sons remember her funnier moments towards the end. The last time we all went as a family to see her before she died, she looked at my husband Todd and said, "Oh I remember you, I always liked you! Did you ever find a good woman?"


:o

[craig mitchell]

Haven't posted in a long while but have kept up with the forum in general. So, dipping a toe in here.

What a timely post. So much to say but to be brief and perhaps to add other elements later: Beware the Will and/or Trust arrangements made before death and who is handling the finances designed to care for your parents. Power of attorney in the hands of an unscrupulous sibling can (and has in the case of me and my sister) add enormously to the grief and pain of losing a parent. My brother took terrible advantage of my mothers' dementia years ago (unknown to my sister and I) and worked his sick influence, poisoning the well of my mothers' mental health to great personal advantage. In short, he managed through stealth and lies, to steal all the inheritance willed to all three siblings equally after death.

Now, a year later we are engaged in a distressing and expensive law suit in an effort to set this wrong to rights. All the manipulations by my brother are now being brought to light, by our fortunately honest and hard working lawyer, have been shocking and disgusting. Save yourself this additional pain by having transparency about the estate, and copies of the will to all parties. Maintain a watch on any activity or change in all of this.

Perhaps this should be a separate thread with influence of the law savvy in the forum brought to bear.

Craig

[TraineeHuman]

I saw a Doctor Oz show which included an interview with the researcher who isolated the compound which, she claims, is responsible for triggering Alzheimers. It's the chemical that's in smoke flavor -- for instance, in bacon and ham. She also found four other contributing dietary items. Two of them were refined flour and sugar.

And yes, about five years ago another researcher (I've forgotten her name) was considered to have established that Alzheimers is in effect diabetes type three. She had noticed that the tiny red splotches in the brain that characterize Alzheimers look like tiny hemorrhages. So she studied them under the microscope, and confirmed that they are indeed miniature hemorrhages.

[sandy]

Gee what a heart felt thread and subject. Thank you for bringing it forward Bill. Blessings of continued strength for you and your Mom, Billy along with you, Joe and your soulmate Patty of 43 years.

My Dad passed at the age of 90 as well and he was a strong, proud, and stubborn man who experienced depression along with this disease as he could not accept that he would lose his independence eventually. My Mom passed before him and this added to not wanting to deal with the reality of his world and he withdrew even more.

I am remiss to say that I wished I had heard my Mother more when I would visit, as she would say she can't take care of him anymore and that it was too hard on her. I along with the rest of the family, would encourage her to buck up, as neither of them wanted to leave their home, refusing to look at alternatives to alleviate some of the stress and responsibility. She was good at covering for him as she had done it all there 64 years of married life :) and we did not realize the extent of the onus on her as a result.

She went to bed one night and never woke up (heart attack in her sleep) and until that time she never even had an ailment that had her disabled or put her health at risk in any way. I often think she just decided to checked out and thus we could find out for ourselves if we didn't want to hear her. :) She was known to be spiteful sometimes...... hahahha but I loved her, just the same.

I visited my Dad as often as I could living 4 hours away (one way) and spent a month at a time in caring for him and giving my sister some respite along the way. She was single, had no children, and lived in the same community a few places away from my folks and took care of Dad until her health and well being along with his deterioration could not be managed any longer.

Dad also experienced two care homes and passed away in the last one, only 6 months after having to leave his home. He took to sleeping as much as a new born baby near the end but did know his children for fleeting moments it seems, right up until the end.

I was blessed to experience a few evenings of Dad being lucid and what sticks in my mind is his sharing how scary it was not be able to draw on what he knows, he knows, and how in his mind he would start repeating the alphabet or counting, one, two, three to fill in the vacuum of nothing. He talked of his lack of being a good father another time and seemed to be walking back and reflecting on his life, and again talked of how scared he was and how he hated being alone more than anything. Just like any small child would be when one thinks about being in these shoes and experiencing this vulnerability.

In the end he was just a little scared boy, so wanting to be nurtured and loved and so I pampered and catered to him as much as I could and so did my sister in her own way. Our 3 brothers did not seem to be able to handle seeing him this way so visited less often. It is a blessing that as the disease progresses they regress more and more and do not suffer seem to experience pain mentally or physically while the disease takes over their memory and in the end, their mind.

It is so important that the care givers get support and repite and reach out and are HEARD when they do, as it is like having a child again who neediness can be overwhelming 24/7.

Memories of my folks are alive and well within the family today and give us all much laughter and joy when together as they were not social beings and we and our children were all they had in way of entertainment besides the TV, thus spent most holidays, sunday suppers, vacations, and many evening playing cards and games with them. My Dad and Mom's lineage, heritage and traditions are certainly carried on as a result and that in inself honours the life they gave us!! :)

http://www.upworthy.com/whats-it-like-to-have-alzheimers-they-could-barely-last-12-minutes-trying-to-find-out?c=ufb1

[Truglivartna]

As a retired Naturopath, I try to keep a database with current information on recent research in alternative medical procedures in healing degenerative diseases. It seems that Alzheimer's is one degenerative disease that can be treated effectively at home with a little effort and some dietary changes. Here is some of the most pertinent information on Alzheimer's from my database

28288

[waves]

With the massive aging boomer generation nearing the age that many watched their parents deteriorate with dementia and alzheimers (what really is the difference?), I think this very timely subject brings up 2 very important issues for ourselves.

1. GENETIC OR NOT. If you had a parent who had dementia/alzheimers, is it genetic? Maybe if the answer is either yes or no, I'm realizing that the wake up call is that the time is NOW to do everything possible to stay physically and mentally stimulated to either prevent or possibly vastly delay a decay like my Mom. My opinion is that any illness can be averted or healed with the right diet/physical care and mental attitude and constant exercise/stimulus of both, and my successes have taught me that it must be actively addressed with relentless dedication.

2. ASSISTED SUICIDE/...or UNASSISTED. During the lucid moments the last 3 years of her life my mother begged me over and over to help her figure out how to end her life. She was in no illness or pain at 85, but hated feeling the deterioration and being dependent especially with the loss of eyesight, flat out bored with everything and done and I don't blame her. It made me wonder what nature's purpose was for this long miserable deterioration, and made me realize I needed to have a plan on how to 'leave' if I ever got to the same point. She had no options but to decay in misery. It was my wake up call to have that covered too.

[RunningDeer]

I've no direct experience with Alzheimer's Disease. My heart goes out all that have been or are touched by this affliction.

I watched “Still Alice (http://watch32.com/movies-online/still-alice-9494)” a couple of weeks back on a free movie site. It's not coming up for me at the moment. Here's the trailer.

Alice Howland, happily married with three grown children, is a renowned linguistics professor who starts to forget words. When she receives a devastating diagnosis, Alice and her family find their bonds tested.


Still Alice
ZrXrZ5iiR0o

<3

[Guish]

It's a very interesting thread. My grandfather's brother had Alzheimer. He settled in France for 30 years. When he became ill, his family ditched him and took all his money. Hence, he returned to Mauritius. My Grandfather took care of him but it was very tough. He used to wake up at round 4 a.m in the morning and walk for 10-15 kms. My father and his brother had to look for him everyday.

It's horrible that some people enjoy good health but they fight over trivial things.

[grannyfranny100]

Waves, I have already started to stockpile my pain pills. Previously, I didn't believe in suicide but when my lucidity become intermittent, I want the choice. I think most of us who have dealt with dem/az may prefer this option. I prefer to be remembered in my prime!!!!!!


Truglivartna, think I will add coconut oil to my diet; it does sound hopeful!!

[DeDukshyn]

Hi all,

I have been exposed to a few preliminary studies on an optimized form of curcumin (turmeric root extract). I work for a company that sells this form of curcumin, but it can be had via other brands in the USA. I make no money from this, but I do work in more an IT role within the company, and I think this may be worth sharing.

Curcumin is not easily taken in by the body - first your digestive system plain won't let the curcumin through the gut - not a whole lot gets through this way. Direct injections work better, but the body immediately flags the curcumin molecules for excretion by the liver (glucuronidation) and thus there's not really much time for the curcumin to do it's thing. This has been the frustrating aspect of curcumin treatments, considering the molecule is amazing for its ability to treat disease.

This "optimized curcumin" created by I believe, UCLA, and sold under the trade name "Longvida" has been tweaked to allow it it high absorption through the gut and hides the free molecules from tagging for excretion. Some of the results have indicated that this tweaking allows the curcumin through the blood brain barrier and directly into the brain, where it appears to be able to clear buildups of beta amyloid plaque's - a contributor to Alzheimer's.

I am not asking anyone to believe me outright, or buy a product, but here is some additional reading with references to the studies:

http://www.drnibber.com/exciting-evidence-effectiveness-highly-bioavailable-form-curcumin-longvida-alzheimers-disease/


http://www.drnibber.com/ucla-study-longvida-form-of-curcumin-sheds-new-light-on-pre-alzheimers-disease-pathology/

http://www.aor.ca/new-study-shows-alzheimers-benefits-from-longvida-curcumin/

http://www.aor.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Advances-Vol-4-Issue-4-Ayurveda-and-Cognition.pdf

[JRS]

My Mother-in-Law had a pretty good brain. She won the Senior Olympics 'Bridge' card playing championship in her home town of 100,000 people not once , but 5 years in a row. Then poof!-Alzheimers. Gram ended up in a 'Memory' unit. She couldn't remember what happened 5 minutes ago, but she could remember all her friends names in an old high school photo. We taped that photo to the door to her room so she would recognize that it was 'her' room.

They took her to her doctor for an annual physical. One of the questions her doctor asked was "How about your bowels? When's the last time you had a bowel movement?" She answered quite honestly, "I can't remember the last time I had a bowel movement." Freakin doctor prescribed a strong laxative. I'll leave the results of this to your imagination!

On Gram's 90th birthday we brought cake and ice-cream for a birthday party. When we brought Gram in she said "Yeah! A Party!" She loved parties! Then she asked "What's the party for?" My Wife to Gram, "It's a birthday party for you." Gram asked "It's my birthday?" My Wife to Gram, "Yes Mom, it's your birthday!" Gram asked "How old am I?" My Wife to her Mom, "You are 90 years old today!"
Gram said, "Oh my!" and then a long pause, and then Gram said "DON'T TELL ANYBODY!"

[MacStar]

Waves, I have already started to stockpile my pain pills. Previously, I didn't believe in suicide but when my lucidity become intermittent, I want the choice. I think most of us who have dealt with dem/az may prefer this option. I prefer to be remembered in my prime!!!!!!


Truglivartna, think I will add coconut oil to my diet; it does sound hopeful!!

Most definitely grannyfanny100! We consume Banaban Coconut Oil every day and have for a few years now. We also eat....umm I mean "feed our budgie" hulled Hemp seeds with every meal too so look into that ;)

I must say thanks to Bill for not only starting this thread,but also for supporting Billy with an equally difficult part of this terrible disease. All these story's are really hitting the heart as my Grandfather also had Alzheimer's when I was about 6 or 7. Obviously at the age I was,it was very hard for me to grasp as the onset was rather fast as was the decline.
My Grandfather Alec was just like most have relayed here. He was and still is a huge influence on myself and what a real Man should be like. He took life in his stride,never looked back and was a strong willed,kind and gentle man.
I remember him being ok and then in no time he was put into a home. It was gut wrenching to see the rapid decline that I didn't understand,especially one visit when I walked in and he had no idea who I was anymore.
I still remember looking into his eyes on that last visit...they were like looking into clear cat's eye marbles. I just couldn't see him inside anymore,though he still smiled....something that I will never forget.I think I only got to see him twice before the disease took his life.
This does run in the Family (although I'm adopted and know some of my lineage) but I'm seeing signs in my Mum and have for a while now and her brother is already on the decline. My Dad passed of a heart attack quite some years back. I'm doing all I can to help Mum with her diet and some supplements and she is slowly starting to see the merit in what I've been suggesting she drop out and what to start adding as it does have a correlation to increasing or decreasing the chances of the onset and or severity.

Still on topic but I'd also like to mention that our departed member, my mate Shipo also went through the stress of caring for both his Mum and Dad before he passed last year from lung cancer. I'm sorry that I didn't let the community here know too,so please forgive me as a lot has been going on since and still is.
It will be 1 year to the day tomorrow....SirDipSwitch,I thank you and the other's in the OBE thread for getting him there. He was fine to go mate so thanks.

We used to chat on Skype at least 3 times a week and he told me all about how draining it was on him,which was becoming quite evident and also the equally painful decision to see them into a home which broke him but also was a release. Thanks to his siblings finally taking notice of his plea's for help,they helped out which was good.

My Partner used to work in Community Aged Care and dealt with a lot of people with cognitive decline as her job was house visits in the Palliative sector. She saw a lot of these poor disoriented diseased people and it did take it's toll on her as you could imagine. She left not long after we met 7 years ago and took on the role of Carer for me whilst going through the hell ride of long term/high dose prescription Benzo Withdrawal. I still have a little way to go to freedom but I'll get there in tact soon.
I guess this is where my interest and studies in reversing cognitive decline comes in as that group of drugs are Neuro-Toxins that actually do damage receptors,cause memory impairment and for most,quite severe cognition problems.

I know Bill wasn't after remedies and treatment posts yet but I feel it necessary in my position to say that indeed food and supplements markedly improve cognitive damage. I have mentioned Hemp Seeds,also Coconut Oil by Truglivartna.
Things are definitely much clearer when these are "on the menu",esp. the Hulled Hemp Seeds as we have ran out before for about a month. I really noticed the "brain fog" returning full steam and though we still had Coconut Oil,the skin,hair and eyes just were not as healthy until we got some more in.

The other thing to look at is the role of Acetylcholine especially and also the Russian developed -racetam's. There are plenty of published studies on these and Alzheimer's/Dementia etc. I take CDP-Choline twice a day with Oxiracetam from research and trial and error with excellent results. I found this combo for me worked especially well to clear the afternoon "brain fog". My memory and recall has improved probably better than it was before they drugged me.

Anyhow,enough from me and I hope I haven't de-railed Bill's intentions by putting in my findings this early in the thread. I fully expect Bill also knows about L-Dopa.

Wishing all the best to those that care for loved one's or work in the industry...you are unsung Hero's and deserve more resources.

Hang in there Billy.

Cheers,
Andrew

[Gatita]

Dementia can definitely tear families apart. The person with dementia sometimes retains enough savvy to manipulate family members against each other. Or they fake things well enough to convince the primary care physician that driving is still a safe activity. My mother did both of those things.

Cat

[MacStar]

Dementia can definitely tear families apart. The person with dementia sometimes retains enough savvy to manipulate family members against each other. Or they fake things well enough to convince the primary care physician that driving is still a safe activity. My mother did both of those things.

Cat

Hi Cat,

My old mate Shipo had one that did this,the other couldn't remember the last 5 mins or the past.

[Joe Sustaire]

One thing to remember is that even though their memory, ability to track thoughts, and understand and use words can diminish to really unbelievable levels, their emotional life and response remain strong. In other words they do feel and respond to joy, sadness, anger, etc. They don't remember why they are sad or angry, but the emotional life is real and strong.

The best/only way I can still strongly connect with Patty is love. By nature she has always been the most loving, happy and positive person I ever met. She taught me how to love. For ten years she was a child protective services worker in Texas. After she burned out from the stress of that job she moved into inspecting daycare centers for the state, and then finally she ran a daycare for the Fort Worth Daycare Association. So love and empathy for the "least of mine" was always her calling, bringer of light, love and joy.

If you can imagine, losing your memories and basic knowledge of most everything in your environment, from people, to what they are doing when trying to help you by taking your blood pressure or changing your briefs and cleaning you up, the world becomes a pretty scary place. Anger and fight or flight kicks in, and you no longer have the ability to run away. So hollering and cussing steps up, and watch out for those hands and feet. You're just trying to defend and protect yourself.

When I visit Patty I approach her calmly, slowly and quietly with love. I tell I came to see her, I tell her she looks pretty today, I ask her if she has a smile in there, usually she gives me one and I tell her she has a pretty smile. Usually before long she's reaching to hold my hand, we're smiling and laughing, admiring the view out her window or the flowers in her room. Maybe she'll ask what my name is, I'll tell her I'm Joe, she's Patty, and we're Patty and Joe. We're best buddies, we've been together a long time and we know how to have fun! I'll hold her hand and kiss her fingers, she'll often kiss mine, maybe we'll start making goofy sounds or faces at each other and winking, and maybe sing simple nursery rhymes and children songs. We connect, I tell her I love her, she tells me she loves me and she's glad I'm here, we help each other to feel loved.

When we have reached this stage, if she starts having anxiety over something, tv, loud noises, seeing, hearing and talking to things and people that aren't there.......oops, I forget where I am, this is Avalon! Rather when she has anxiety or starts getting upset with voices or people that "I" can't see... :-) I tell her it's all right, we're okay, we're just taking a rest, and she calms down and is reassured that everything is all right. If I'm there when she needs changing I'm able to hold her hands, have her lean into me and tell her it's all right, we're okay, they are just helping us out, fixing us up etc., and it helps her weather the "assault" of having her pants pulled down and her private parts cleaned. When you can't understand what's going on around you, it's a mighty scary world. Love gets through. Thankfully we were able to find a facility has many open, caring, and loving ladies/girls working there. And as in so many areas in life, those least paid do the most work and have the biggest impact on the resident's quality of life it seems. God bless them.

I pray to Great Spirit morning and night asking for help, and guidance, for myself, Patty, and the ladies that take care of her. I meditate and ask for strength, direction, and help, as I work through this new stage of my life. And it helps.

Love to all!

[sheme]

Dr Deagle claims the flu jab well Three flu jabs to be precise will give you this disease I am not so sure but worth sharing, also a diet rich in magnesium as talked of in the "Alzheimers Conquered" book by a chap that had been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers, the claim was he progressed with the disease but one day he- as it were- woke up! gradually improved thanks to his wife persisting with a diet rich in magnesium , he halted the disease and wrote the book.

I nursed my own mother for over 5 years eventually getting her into a residential home not because I couldn't care for her any more but because I wanted her to die quickly from some kind of infection - it only took a few months she died of pneumonia, I explained what had happened to her after she had died just in case she felt confused in death- not recognise her lifeless body or my own ageing self. This made me feel better anyway.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0572021968/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=

Homocysteine levels are also associated with Alzheimers
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12849121

[Billy]

Hi everyone, First and foremost i wish to thank Bill for creating this valuable thread. As Bill mentioned i unexpectedly but willingly find myself caring for my mum who is suffering with this dreaded curse at this time of her life.

Wow, I am stuck for words at this moment after reading through the comments and with everyone being so open when sharing their personal experiences in relation to this beast that we call Alzheimer's.

@Joe, Your sharing truly touched my heart brother, Peace of mind and heart to the one you love.

I think in the future i may also find myself in the position of finding myself, as i seem to be many persons through my mums eyes as we go through the days. Depending on what past years she is seeing in her minds eye, One day i am her brother by name, next moment i am her husband, my father by name. It is rare now that she sees me as her eldest son and forgets my name. Then in moments of clarity i hear her call "Billy" can you bring me whatever. It is truly a living in the moment situation.


But hey i can role play any character whom she imagines is beside her.:p Sometimes i correct her and remind her of who i am, she says "Oh so you are" and other times i find it better to just leave it alone, as i have also found that correcting her can cause unnecessary confusion.

This all seems to have began when my father was ill at home and nearing the end of his days with Leukemia, He passed away in Jan 2013, and after 64 yrs together my mum lost the will to carry on, I think myself the shock of his passing kick started the memory loss, and then very quickly it accelerated into Alzheimer's.
Which i have just found out is something that doctors are not allowed to diagnose. And has to be diagnosed by a Psychiatrist.

Early November Last year she fell outside, this was when i arrived to stay for a while, It turned out she had broken her knee and ended up in hospital for 6 months. a rapid downhill slide while there. This was when the UTI's (infections) began, they poison the brain and cause hallucinations and unbelievable confusion. Seeing my father and others who had passed away. Forgetting she could not walk (Ever again it turned out) she fell at least 15 times while in hospital care. :doh: Covered in bruises but lucky there was no more serious breakages. Although the authorities wanted to place her in a care home.

It was this lack of care due to understaffed and overworked nurses that made me decide to bring her home and care for her myself. The UTI's happens every month or so. and this is the difficult times. Up all night dealing with hallucinations ect. It is during those times i have shared the odd rant with Bill and the Team in the Skype chat. And all have been amazingly supportive. Because of Bill's experiences he has passed on some welcomed tips. Having a Routine was one. What time of the day it is becomes important.

She has now lost or blanked out the last 20yrs of her life. She does not recognize her home where she has lived for the last 15yrs (Pre Dads illness), but in her mind she is in her previous home, (Happier times), Although we are on a ground floor flat she asks me to go upstairs to fetch this or that, We do not have stairs. And she constantly asks "When can i go home" But i manage to remind her with the familiar furniture and surrounding photo's that she is already home.

I have a care plan in place, four visits a day for 20mins a visit. Helping with meds, toilet visits, Although i have usually already taken her minutes before they arrive. :ohwell:

I try and keep a sense of humour at all times, And we do have some funny moments. Moments like the following. Shared by Jean-marie.

she looked at my husband Todd and said, "Oh I remember you, I always liked you! Did you ever find a good woman?"

My mum looked in the mirror one morning a few weeks ago and was shocked and shouted. WHERE HAS ALL MY RED HAIR GONE. Having not had it for 30yrs now. so this is a story she tells when visitors come.

[QUOTE] Power of attorney[QUOTE]

Yes this is important. My sister and brother and i have a very close relationship. My sister now has power of attorney. And they both take turn about every couple of weeks to let me out overnight.. Time out is my life saver.

God it has taken me all day just to share this. food time for mum now.

Thank you everyone for sharing. I have more to share and I am always here to assist others, If i ever find myself climbing walls and to let out a scream, i may just pop in here now. :grouphug:

[Roisin]

I worked with Alzheimer residents in a private elite home for the elderly as an intern in a post-graduate Art Therapy program. This is the
kind of disease that you're really not going to become acquainted with on a deep intimate level unless you've had hands-on experience with it.
Unfortunately, all of us oldsters here, 50 and over, eventually will have encounters with this disease somewhere down the line via our family and friends
who end up being diagnosed with it. But don't be fooled if they don't know who you are when you visit them because just like how it is with coma patients,
on a subconscious level, they are completely lucid and understand everything you are saying to them. Tell them that you love them while looking in their eyes and
holding their hand. They are still there and remember everything even though they look like they are very, very far away.

[Snowflower]

Coconut oil is very hopeful! No less than 5 Tbsp a day for someone with the disease, 2-3 as a preventative. Also, take every SPECK of wheat out of the diet. Better yet - absolute ketogenic. This means 30 grams or less of carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables but NO grains or legumes at all. "Grain Brain" by David Perlmutter is a must read. The disease is preventable and if caught soon enough, curable with diet.

My mother had senile dementia, which is not Alzeimers. She spent her last 3 months in a nursing home after a stroke, and I decided I would rather die - literally. If there is no other way, I will stop eating or drinking.

[Mike]

not too long ago I worked in a hospital as a "safety companion". I was put mainly with dementia patients. basically I kept them from tearing out their IV's, catheters, so forth. I prevented them from hurting themselves and provided basic assistance when necessary.

I got the job thru a temp agency. I had no training, and no idea what I was in for. it was a new program there at the hospital.

my first day was with an older man named Will. I had no idea what his condition was or even what I was there for, really. he didn't either. he kept asking why I was there, and all I could offer in return was my job title: safety companion. he'd nod knowingly every time i recited this line and then ask me the same question no less than 5 minutes later. "safety companion" i'd say, and we'd repeat the ritual again. in between this inanity we sat and talked pleasantly. he talked quite a bit about fighting in world war 2. and when he wasn't doing that he would occasionally sing the song 'ring of fire' at a volume registering just over a mumble. I didn't think anything of it. he was just a charming old man who happened to like johnny cash.

I broke for dinner about 4 hrs in. what a job! I thought. soft! and it paid well too.

after dinner, as I left the elevator and made my way to Will's room I heard 'ring of fire' being belted out at a volume that could have been detected in space. he must have been singing the entire time id been gone, because his voice had grown hoarse and wheezy. it was as if he was being strangled to death and decided to sing 'ring of fire' to express his fear instead of just crying out for help. when I entered the room I observed a completely different individual than the one id left no more than an hour ago. his previous calm was replaced by madness and fear, his hair was tousled and reaching in all different directions. he was writhing around almost uncontrollably and punching the air as he gave homage to johnny cash..."burn! burn! burn! the ring of fire! the ring of fire!!!" against my better judgment I asked him why he was violently swinging his penis around, and his response was that he thought it was a microphone.

Will sang 'ring of fire' for the rest of my shift. that was 4 more hours in case youre wondering. it was utter madness. he had completely forgotten what we discussed before I'd left for lunch. he'd completely forgotten who I was! and now he was blasting out 'ring of fire' for the whole world to hear. he may have broken a record for most bowel movements in a 4 hour span too. a nurse aid and myself would change him...and then, like clockwork, 30 or so mins later he'd go again. meanwhile I was frantically trying to keep him from ripping out his IV and catheter. he was old and sick but still surprisingly strong! restraining him wasn't easy!

the whole experience was one of total insanity. "burn! burn! burn! the ring of fire! the ring of fire!"

I watched Will for several weeks before I was reassigned to another patient. and every day with him was nearly the same: 4-7 was pleasant conversation...7-8 was dinner...and 8-midnight was non-stop 'ring of fire' interspersed with a seemingly constant stream of sh!t coming from Will's bowels. ring of fire indeed. after the first week I decided to heed the old axiom ' if you cant beat 'em, join 'em. I joined Will many times in screeching, profoundly off-key renditions of 'ring of fire'. I sang till I was hoarse...till my hair was matted down with sweat...till my eyes went bloodshot. I stopped short of using my penis as a microphone, but still..if someone walked in randomly and didn't know who I was, it may have taken a moment before they realized who the patient was and who the worker was.

this was just the tip of the iceburg too. I worked there for a year and a half or so, and I considered the place more insane asylum than hospital. when I left I'd felt like I'd barely escaped with my sanity. the one thing I learned dealing w/dementia and alzheimers patients- the most important thing - is that you have to allow yourself to laugh at it all once in a while. you'll feel a bit guilty at first, but you must allow yourself this one luxury. it's the only thing that'll keep you sane

[Aspen]

Coconut oil mixed with hemp seeds is very good. My mother used to make an icecube tray full and keep it in the fridge and pop one ice cube sized piece into my father's mouth every day.

My father had both Alzheimers and Parkinsons and my mother was his main caregiver for the last three years of his life. She burned out emotionally and physically about four months before his death. SHe was simply not getting enough sleep at night because he was so restless. I remember spending one night in their place and allowing my mom to go home. He got up five times that night and I was exhausted after one night! We were always afraid he would fall and fracture a hip. It was a great relief for us all when he passed away - to see an end to his suffering. However the grieving was complicated for my mother by her burn out and all the unresolved issues that had remained from their marriage (he had been very controlling when he was well and she still carried a lot of resentment). She ended up attempting suicide more than two years after his death, but now she is finally doing great. So it is very true that the caregivers need lots of support, more than they themselves realize!
When I did some research on Alzheimers and their cargivers I was shocked to read that many caregivers pass away before the Alzheimer's patient! I suppose it is because half of the time it is their marriage partner who also happens to be elderly. Just guessing.

I found it is emotionally and physically draining to take care of a parent in this condition. I was very grateful that we were able to find a spot for him in an Alzheimer's ward. Myself and my sister would go to see him every day. I tried to be there at mealtime to help feed him and several times ended up changing a diaper. I am very glad that I was able to take the time to be part of his life in the last few years. It gave me the much needed time with dad that I had missed early in life. Even though he was confused about who I was I still felt like he knew it was someone who loved him, even at the end. We ended up not choosing a feeding tube and he , essentially, starved to death. However it seemed to be quite painless. He was enjoying music and art right up to the day before he died. I remember bringing his favourite Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash music to the care center and he was swinging his feet back and forth in time to the music. My paramedic brother was amazed at the courage he appeared to have. I have heard of other people consenting to a feeding tube and prolonging the persons life for years. But years spent in bed is not what my father would have wanted. He asked me while he was still lucid, two years before he died to help end his life "when things get really bad." Not giving the feeding tube is the best I could do. It was a very special experience to be present at his death and my sister and I both sensed the presence of angels.

The people in the care center are for the most part loving people doing the best they can, but it is true that they are understaffed. However, in the last few months it would have taken 3 family members to provide 8 hour shifts around the clock. We were simply not able to do it. We would have had to quit our jobs. Stopping in at the care center every day was the best we could do. I enjoyed my walks with him, I would take the wheelchair outside. He did adjust to the care center after 3 months but the first month was difficult. His sleep schedule got mixed up and he would be dosing in his wheelchair at meal time and ended up getting dehydrated. But he did finally adjust. Unfortunately his bed was considered a respite bed and was temporary so they did move him again. He died within a week. I believe it was because he could not adjust. So, the moral of the story seems to be that if there are family members living close to a care facility, find a spot before the Alzheimers gets too advanced. It was very traumatic to see my father treated like a piece of luggage. I often wonder if the health care system knows that advanced dementia patients are likely to die if they are moved and deliberately move people to speed up the process??? The caregivers that knew him were very distressed about he decision the day he was moved. They followed us out the door practically wringing their hands.

My mother was helped somewhat by moving into a senior's lodge with him when he was not quite so advanced. She received help with bathing and clothing him and the meals were provided. The staff would also give her breaks by "babysitting" him for an hour at a time in the middle of the day. That worked okay for about 6 months and then he lost his appetite and started to go downhill more quickly. The (Parkinsons medication is so bitter! And they lose their sense of taste with Parkinsons.)

Caregivers need break! For their mental health. Some families find it helpful to hire caregivers for nighttime so that the family caregivers gets enough sleep.

As to the causes, I believe it has to do with the neurotoxins we have in our water supply, (like the fluoride) and other toxins in the air, the food, the immunizations and medications, especially those that affect the nervous system. Researchers are saying that MS, Alzheimers and Parkinsons are linked. They are all diseases of the nervous system and have more in common than previously realized. In Alberta there are a lot of gas wells and flaring is commonly used. Flaring of oil and gas wells is not 100% efficient at burning off toxins. If it is windy a lot of the toxic gases end up in the air. Alberta has one of the highest rates of MS in Canada. I wonder what the Dementia and Parkinsons rates are?

One thing I would try now, if I were to do it over again, is radionics. Apparently some success has been achieved with radionics for dementia.

Another point is, my father was very careful with his diet. From the age of 25 he was vegetarian for a few years and believed in organic all his life. Diet was certainly not a cause in his case! He took lots of supplements, my mom always had a big garden and they grew their own meat. One cause of Parkinsons is head trauma. So I wonder if that is a factor in dementia as well. He had suffered major trauma at a young age - one year in prison camp. I can't help but wonder if it caused brain damage??? that may have started a sequence of events later in life . . . .

[avid]

Post-it notes everywhere, even to remembering to read them is crucial! My daily duty, cross off stuff done, and flag up critical issues. I just thought that the major loss I've experienced this year, has sent me 'over the edge'! I just can't seem to focus any more, or deal with tradespersons who are needing to be kicked into touch. I am not senile, I am only 65, but it seems like I am 'kicking against the pricks'. Tomorrow - I am 'snagging' major works, and unfortunately, will have to sack a person brought in by my decorator. I've done this loads in my life, in the education business, but it's Xmas, and I have been 'taken to the cleaners' as a vulnerable person. Will have to steel-up and sack this chap. He's made more of a simple job than I needed, and the recompense is immense. I reckon I'll 'snag' him tomorrow, and if he doesn't make amends, he'll not work locally again.... Why are folk so cruel

[Aspen]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1113103/Sir-Terry-Pratchett-trials-revolutionary-light-helmet-promises-slow-Alzheimers.html

Good news for Alzheimer's sufferers! Clinical trials are underway in the UK and research in other parts of the world looks promising. It is for early stages of dementia. But Terry Pratchet has had it for a while now, so I gather it can be used even after having the disorder for several years, depending on how quickly the disease has progressed in specific persons. . . .

"Sir Terry Pratchett has been trialling a revolutionary new device that claims to slow, and even reverse the effects of Alzheimer's.

The award-winning author, who was diagnosed with dementia in 2007, is one of the first patients in the UK to try the anti-dementia helmet.


The device sends intense bursts of light at a particular wavelength the a patient's skull.


The helmet's designer, Dr Gordon Dougal is convinced the device could transform the lives of thousands of people with Alzheimer's, which currently affects 700,000 people in the UK.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1113103/Sir-Terry-Pratchett-trials-revolutionary-light-helmet-promises-slow-Alzheimers.html#ixzz3MBbAbNeE

[Corncrake]

This is one of the most moving threads I have ever read on this forum. Thank you everyone for sharing your very personal stories. My parents died from uterine cancer and heart disease at 64 and 57 respectively and I have often felt cheated of their love and company. However, I am now at an age when many of my friends' parents are suffering this debilitating condition and though I wish I had had my parents around for longer I am truly grateful they did not have to go through this. The film 'Iris' about the celebrated British writer Iris Murdoch is a realistic depiction of losing a loved one to this.

ALsVdYhE3BI

[avid]

Coconut oil is very hopeful! No less than 5 Tbsp a day for someone with the disease, 2-3 as a preventative. Also, take every SPECK of wheat out of the diet. Better yet - absolute ketogenic. This means 30 grams or less of carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables but NO grains or legumes at all. "Grain Brain" by David Perlmutter is a must read. The disease is preventable and if caught soon enough, curable with diet.

My mother had senile dementia, which is not Alzeimers. She spent her last 3 months in a nursing home after a stroke, and I decided I would rather die - literally. If there is no other way, I will stop eating or drinking.

This is what happened to my father, and many of his friends recently, they refuse to eat, they die. It's happening to at least 4 close families NOW! Nothing can tempt them to eat - even a lovely ice-cream! It seems to be their last stand, and the olde 'double fingered' salute to us who are desperate to keep them going, for US, and really not for them. So don't despair if an aged loved-one won't eat, it would seem that it is a pattern we must accept. Even the heavy breathing is 'normal' at 'the end' - they are just drifting away naturally.

Many folk who I now have just said the same thing, the olde folks have just 'shutdown', won't eat. So many now, I've tried to tempt lovely food - but really, they want to "switch off" asap! Don't despair - you've done your best, they have not starved!! They just want to"go" - not your problem, they need/want to leave, so let them go with love. "They" know you have have done your best for them. Uncle P and Aunty Edith are together at last, my family have loved them 'in extremis', and a wee visitation in Cockermouth cemetary - a wondrous place, total peace, and a babbling brook Elizabeth Howden, and Patricia King, just over the bridge and to the right..
Mum and Dad are at Crosby now, but at least they are together, as they both wanted. At least we did that right. Bless all those who follow, and especially Cath and Mary xxxxx

[RunningDeer]

The film 'Iris' about the celebrated British writer Iris Murdoch is a realistic depiction of losing a loved one to this.


ALsVdYhE3BI

Thanks, Corncrake. The vid is blocked. In case this 2nd is too, check out the trailer in @ IMBd (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0280778/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_27). It's also available at iTunes.


IRIS - Kate Winslet as Iris Murdoch
myJ231BDz3s

[Aspen]

I just spoke to my friend who has been using energy frequency knowledge for 40 years and he stated that he has had success with using the "brain apnea signature" when helping people with chronic conditions that affect the brain. He also using psyionics and reads auras, so he using a variety of methods. He also speculated that the many medications that many alzheimers and parkinson's patients are on are toxic to the brain and can cause cerebellum to shut down from being toxic. My healer friend has been studying the brain quite extensively in recent months because of people seeking help with dementia but also for children with ADHD and autism and brain cancer. He has also found evidence that well water and multi vitamins can end up give people too much iron. Metals are a culprit in interfering with functioning of the nervous system and the brain. So heavy metal cleanses are also helpful. My father had fasted for three weeks when he first was diagnosed with Parkinson's but it did not help him. He had a form of Parkinsons that causes rigidity and imbalance problems but not the shaking, so maybe it was too far advanced by the time he decided to fast? Radionics, apparently, is not legal in Canada so one has to be cautious when speaking about it here, but in Europe it is legal. I don't know about the US. thanks

[Rocky_Shorz]

for those who never experienced someone you love with Alzheimer's, 50 first dates was an incredible movie giving a glimpse into what it is like...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmwSUyoEItk

now imagine instead of it being every morning, it can happen in 5-10 minutes...

my Dad has it, I live 10 minutes away, he is still in early stages but it is really hard on my mom. I'll get a call he's having a bad day and I drop in, being a healer that has helped so many others it is hard not being able to help my own Dad. I look the same as I did back in high school, so at a glance I snap him back to reality and he'll start chewing me out for a tool I lost back when I was 5. It used to piss me off when he brought it up, but for him to remember just a shred of the past seems to start a snowball and soon he is back to present times.

Every one of you have something in what you wrote I'd like to respond to, but all I can do is send a hug with my thanks.

coconut oil is part of his daily intake, and I've taught them to replace salt, with Curry and garlic which has the ingredient Tumeric root but a combination of other spices that make a combination for Cardio along with memory.

but, let me give all of you a hint to start their day, Honey Cinnamon, they make a paste to go on toast and stir some into his coffee

I'm not sure why, but for him, it starts his day in the present...

he gets lost in the night occasionally wandering around their home, but Mom learned calling his name attracts him and orients him as he wakes better than an old lady telling him to come to bed, if at the moment he is in his twenties, he has no clue who mom is...

imagine our gifts in someone who doesn't believe.

we do time travel, OBEs, remote viewing...

what if part of the alzhiemers confusion is understanding what they are going through, the closer you get to heaven, the more gifts seem to return...

being surrounded by classmates that passed over the years...
talking with old relatives, he is traveling to the moment they are bringing them to...

so much is still unknown, but I wanted all of you to consider this possibility, I have looked at times, Spirit is at 100% while the conscious mind is drifting...

ps... remember the 93 year old Irish lady I told you about a few years back? I'm still a caregiver when she needs it, she's been to deaths door 7 times now and each time a miracle brought her back. it's been 68 years since her cancer treatment in London, she still gets her $5 a month the queen graciously gives her to cover living expenses...

she's almost 96 now, last year she was begging for someone to kill her, she bounced back with a Christmas Day miracle, she had been lost in loopyville for a few weeks, suddenly sharp as a tack...

we took a 4 day cruise for a sanity break a few weeks back, when we returned she had injured her leg, now 2 person transfer required to do anything, so it's been a rough return from a well needed vacation...

I myself enjoy when they are in loopyville watching the birds flying around the room, getting fish for lunch from a picture...

if that is their step before passing there is nothing to worry about, they won't feel or know anything when the time comes...

now my favorite thing to do is bring both together, they sit and talk for hours... both on completely different subjects, but the other never notices...

I can see where a home would be a very good place for them to spend time...

the problem is the hospital in between, unequipped to handle these patients.

Dad woke up at 2AM in a conspiracy, they were testing him with bio diseases... He started walking up and down the hallway demanding everyone get out of his house...

3 security guards to hold him until they could lock down the restraints...

I walked in at 2:15 he looked up, tears pouring down his cheeks...

"hi Dave, why are all these people in my house..."

I released the restraints, brought to the window, and had him look outside...

I saw him return, he said "this isn't my home, where am I?"

I explained why he was in the hospital, turned to the nurse and said "I am taking him home now, nothing you can say will change my mind..."

he got dressed and I rolled Dad out toward my car...

right then my sister and mom pulled in seeing me roll dad out through the door, I smiled loaded him in the car and sadly watched them drive away...

it is really hard, so I understand what all of you are going through...

[Joe Sustaire]

Yes, so many loving yet painful stories on here! And yes it's very draining to deal with and write about, but helpful as well. So many "oh yeah" memories as well as I read others stories.

As Billy mentioned, I'd forgotten all about the uti's and how that would make her more difficult and unmanageable. I also went through this with my Dad. His dementia was parkinson related. We, Patty and I had him up here in the woods for several months before a space opened up for him at the local VA hospital. He just lost the ability to walk. He'd been living by himself and was out mowing the yard, took a break in his recliner and then just couldn't walk when he tried to get up. Went through all the tests and found nothing physically wrong with him, somehow the neurons and electrical connections from brain to legs just failed to connect. What made it particularly hard taking care of him was that he couldn't remember he couldn't walk. So all night as we tried to sleep, same room, you tried to keep an ear open to hear him stir or sit up in bed so you could call out to him and settle him down. If you missed his stirring you were awakened by the sound of him hitting the floor. Not fun for him or us, but luckily he never broke anything. A couple of months of that kind of sleep really can drag you down.

As for as cause, who knows? Patty and I were vegans for over 20 years after we moved to the woods. She was always very health conscious, vitamins, minerals, healthy eating etc. and very active both mentally and physically.

My youngest brother died in his early 40's from a massive heart attack, no warning signs, just gone. It was way to early to go, but after seeing people go through long, debilitating, degenerative diseases, I've come to have a new appreciation for a quick, done and gone heart attack.

Love to all!

[Joe Sustaire]

Me again.

There was a novel I read one time, don't remember what it was, but it took place on a small island with several extended families that all made their living as fisherman. The old patriarch of the family had dementia and would spend his days walking around and around the island on the beach, finding shells, driftwood, saving starfish etc. The family would just keep an eye out for him as he came around when it was time to eat etc. Always seemed like the perfect setting for one suffering from this disease. Fresh air, exercise, comparative safety from getting lost, and always something new, for ones that live totally in the present.

Thanks for sharing your stories!

[crosby]

Hi Billy, I just wanted to tell you something about UTI's and hallucinations. This is a common occurrence for my mother. The major factor of this is that her potassium, sodium, and magnesium levels drop to low. These three work hand in hand with continual balance, when they become out of whack, toxins produce the relative affects of hallucinations. UTI's not only cause bacterial buildup within the bladder cavity, ureter tubes, and kidneys, but also in the brain. With the added depletion of potassium, sodium, and magnesium, this can cause major hallucinatory effects. If you can, consult a professional urologist to help bring back her balance and to reduce the UTI's. My heart goes out to you. Make sure you get plenty of rest for yourself.
Warmest regards,
crosby

[Rocky_Shorz]

I mentioned how looking inside I could see modern happenings, but it is like their bridge no longer connects, maybe it is the Spirit saddened trying to help the conscious rebuild the bridge... but I see what they share in this clip from 50 1st dates...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYU7ltkHYXM

[Bill Ryan]

The film 'Iris' about the celebrated British writer Iris Murdoch is a realistic depiction of losing a loved one to this.


ALsVdYhE3BI

Thanks, Corncrake. The vid is blocked. In case this 2nd is too, check out the trailer in @ IMBd (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0280778/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_27). It's also available at iTunes.


IRIS - Kate Winslet as Iris Murdoch
myJ231BDz3s





Here is a download link to the entire movie Iris in good quality, AVI format. It's a free download: 803 Mb, valid for 7 days till 25 December.

http://we.tl/BlCU5iaWjg

My most sincere thanks, respect and appreciation to everyone posting here. One member told me that it had taken them all day to write their post, because it had been such an emotional experience. (To my surprise, I found it had been for me, too, even 28 years later.)

This is real, strong stuff. It is also the Avalon forum at its very finest.

[Mike]

there's one more story id like to share. I think it proves that no matter how seemingly compromised their minds are, dementia/alzheimers sufferers true selves are still in there somewhere...


it involves a man named Bob, a dementia sufferer. ( as I mentioned in my previous post I was employed by a hospital to look over these types of patients as a precaution) Bob was an incredibly sweet man. a smart man too. before he'd gotten ill he was an engineer of some renown. our first day was pretty uneventful. he spoke of his former job with surprisingly clarity and coherence. he spoke of the great love he had for his wife, who he still believed was alive (she wasn't). he told me the story of his marriage to her on a baseball diamond somewhere in the south many, many times (I cant recall where exactly)... and he chuckled affectionately each time he told it, recalling how the manager ("Old Man Freelander") of one of the minor league ball clubs he played for then, married them.

but he grew worse at an alarming rate.

he had a daughter who worked at the hospital, and since Bob and I had grown pretty close, she requested I stay with him for the remainder of his stay, which was 3-4 weeks or so. so I did. I developed a real affection for Bob. I tried not to, honestly. the more I cared, the more heartbreaking it became. catch-22.

I saw emotions flash thru Bob's eyes sometimes, but it was impossible to grab on to them. happiness, fear, despair, joy, mirth...they all seemed to blend and mesh, and it confused him I think. there were times when I was certain he was fully aware of his condition, and all it's ramifications, but he simply couldn't express it verbally. his eyes expressed it though... they reflected a crushing desperation.

one day he went home for a visit. I met him shortly after he returned to the hospital and asked him about it, curious to see if it had any effect. he was quiet for a long moment - as if he was gathering all his energy to deliver something coherent - and he said to me, with the most profoundly sad eyes id ever seen: "better to have stayed then to have went and come back". he looked at me with a clarity i'd only recognized from the pictures i'd seen of him pre-illness.

i was completely gutted. i excused myself under the pretense of having to use the bathroom. i left the room and wept like a child

[Puffin]

I am grateful to have the chance to speak on this subject to you dear Avalonians.

My Mother has always been a positive and loving person and this has continued into her later life with the diagnosis of Alzheimer's. It has been such a huge pleasure to help my (very youthful) 89 year old Father care for her and over the last few months I have enjoyed her company more than I ever have done. She is so funny and sweet and makes us laugh even when she doesn't mean to. She is somewhat aware she is ill, but it doesn't seem to trouble her. Over the last couple of months she has said two especially nice things, one to my father; 'You are the best thing that happened in my life.' One to me; 'I like being old'. Indeed she is much loved and cherished by both of us, which must make 100% difference to the way she (or anyone else for that matter) experiences life. She is treated like a Queen!

Over the last month or two there were noticeable improvements in her health - regaining some control of her bladder and occasionally walking unaided.

12 days ago she had a major stroke and was admitted to hospital. Its been touch and go since then and a few days ago I thought she was nearing the end. Today she said; 'I could get better'.

I would love to have her back home again and be able to care for her and enjoy her company for many more years to come.

[Rocky_Shorz]

Yeah Bill,

I'm sure you noticed how I cut off without finishing...

It's not easy sharing but does feel important to share, healing is believing facts don't matter...

I haven't mentioned it yet, but right as we were loading suitcases in the car for our trip, the nurse covering for us tripped on a shoe fell landing on her arm. When she stood up, I saw the bone pressing out an inch, she just broke her arm. We'd miss the ship waiting for another nurse, without thinking, I rubbed my hands, clapped them together creating the energy ball and slid my hands on both sides of her break, and knew it wasn't broken... I felt as the bump went down on her skin, the break was gone...

I moved my hands and the nurses mouth was hanging, then tears poured down her cheeks as she realized she just witnessed a miracle.

I gave her a big hug as we ran out the door...

facts mean nothing to me... ;)

[Gatita]

A lot of times you have to mentally move into their world. It's their world, everybody knows them there. You're just the nice neighbor that comes to visit.

Cat

[Aspen]

4yYkoTkrcwQ a beautiful and touching moment in music therapy used to connect with a severe Alzheimer's patient. . . . .tears


It is like Gatita says in the previous post - you have to move into their world in order to connect on an emotional level. They must feel quite isolated at times with all the mental confusion

[Bill Ryan]

------

I am most extremely moved by these posts and very personal stories.... thank you all, so much, again.

[Gatita]

Crosby mentioned UTI's and hallucinations. Speaking from a nursing perspective, incontinence raises the risk for UTI'S because the individual is marinating in their own output. If it's bowel and bladder both, it's that much worse. Then, when you toss electrolyte imbalances into the mix, it gets worse. Electrolyte imbalances can cause a range of cardiac issues, along with all the hallucinations from the infection and out of whack lab values. We can also factor in "sundowning." Perfectly lucid during the day; perfectly loopy at night. I'm not a cardiologist or a geritrician, but I've worked in nursing for twenty years. There isn't much that scares me anymore. Working the night shift cured that. I do still get surprised by something occasionally. I remember one night when I was saying goodbye to someone I had become quite fond of. Her normal communications were word salad. That night when I told her I was leaving, she said "I hate to see you go." That was the most special goodbye I've ever gotten. Her lucid moments were few and far between, but she chose to spend one of them on me.

Cat

[Snowflower]

Aspen, you brought me to tears. The love between those two women was out of this world - literally.

[Antagenet]

My mother began a journey into alzheimers for one year before COPD took her out.
During that time I cared for her and slept on the hospital floor when she went there
because she didnt remember how to call the nurses if she needed something.
I wrote a lot of poetry about what we were going through, and here is one
of them.
My love to all who care for people with this childlike disease.



Expiration

The country of your first breath
haunts every one
except your last.

That last breath
will take you beyond
the breaths you were.

Whatever treasures have fastened
around your understanding
lift now.

The book of life advanced,
your chapter
describing what you wanted.

Your desires fell
like dominos
between worlds.

Those pipes
underground
always siphoning you.

In this dense land of bizarre
beauty,
exhaust wafted in windows.

The only home
you knew, here
they spoke your name.

But now you can’t recall it,
and without a name
you step into your last breath.

[Selene]

Coconut oil is very hopeful! No less than 5 Tbsp a day for someone with the disease, 2-3 as a preventative. Also, take every SPECK of wheat out of the diet. Better yet - absolute ketogenic. This means 30 grams or less of carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables but NO grains or legumes at all. "Grain Brain" by David Perlmutter is a must read. The disease is preventable and if caught soon enough, curable with diet.

My mother had senile dementia, which is not Alzeimers. She spent her last 3 months in a nursing home after a stroke, and I decided I would rather die - literally. If there is no other way, I will stop eating or drinking.

This is what happened to my father, and many of his friends recently, they refuse to eat, they die. It's happening to at least 4 close families NOW! Nothing can tempt them to eat - even a lovely ice-cream! It seems to be their last stand, and the olde 'double fingered' salute to us who are desperate to keep them going, for US, and really not for them. So don't despair if an aged loved-one won't eat, it would seem that it is a pattern we must accept. Even the heavy breathing is 'normal' at 'the end' - they are just drifting away naturally.

Many folk who I now have just said the same thing, the olde folks have just 'shutdown', won't eat. So many now, I've tried to tempt lovely food - but really, they want to "switch off" asap! Don't despair - you've done your best, they have not starved!! They just want to"go" - not your problem, they need/want to leave, so let them go with love. "They" know you have have done your best for them. Uncle P and Aunty Edith are together at last, my family have loved them 'in extremis', and a wee visitation in Cockermouth cemetary - a wondrous place, total peace, and a babbling brook Elizabeth Howden, and Patricia King, just over the bridge and to the right..
Mum and Dad are at Crosby now, but at least they are together, as they both wanted. At least we did that right. Bless all those who follow, and especially Cath and Mary xxxxx

My mother was a Geriatric Nurse. That is, she worked with the most elderly, often seeing them through to the end.

And she said that very often the oldest would simply choose to stop eating, refusing all food and drink in order to fade away of their own volition. This was quite common.

She said it was an easy death, quite painless even if slow. At some point they simply went to sleep and did not wake up again….

It was their last stand against involuntary incarceration in their bodies, their final assertion of choice and independence.

With much love to all of us,

Selene

[Aspen]

I have shed a few tears too at reading some of these posts. It has helped me grieve my father some more, especially the last few years. It is not easy to recover from watching some one you love die right before your eyes in slow motion over a period of years. I knew he was dying at least two years before. You know, but you don't really want to believe it. But I am very thankful for those precious few months that we were able to love him and care for him. He had never been able to show much affection because of his wartime experiences as a teenager. It was comforting to be able to care for him, but at the same time it is an unreal experience. I also believe that there is a soul in there somewhere right to the very end. My sister and I both had the impression that there was a welcoming committee in the room, like a celebration or reunion when he died. My mother had very vivid dreams for months where she would go to try and find him and she would find him looking handsome and young again, she said she heard him talking about immigrating to Alaska this time. He talked to her in a garden in one dream and told her to stop looking for him, that he had things to do now. He did believe in reincarnation, maybe he has incarnated in another life, a life where he is free again to follow his ambitions. I guess that is the part that is so sad about Alzheimers, it is as if people are trapped, souls trapped in a body that is not working right anymore. But, I guess there are many people with chronic health issues that feel that way. I am glad we had time to say goodbye to him.

[spiritwind]

I have shed a few tears too at reading some of these posts. It has helped me grieve my father some more, especially the last few years. It is not easy to recover from watching some one you love die right before your eyes in slow motion over a period of years. I knew he was dying at least two years before. You know, but you don't really want to believe it. But I am very thankful for those precious few months that we were able to love him and care for him. He had never been able to show much affection because of his wartime experiences as a teenager. It was comforting to be able to care for him, but at the same time it is an unreal experience. I also believe that there is a soul in there somewhere right to the very end. My sister and I both had the impression that there was a welcoming committee in the room, like a celebration or reunion when he died. My mother had very vivid dreams for months where she would go to try and find him and she would find him looking handsome and young again, she said she heard him talking about immigrating to Alaska this time. He talked to her in a garden in one dream and told her to stop looking for him, that he had things to do now. He did believe in reincarnation, maybe he has incarnated in another life, a life where he is free again to follow his ambitions. I guess that is the part that is so sad about Alzheimers, it is as if people are trapped, souls trapped in a body that is not working right anymore. But, I guess there are many people with chronic health issues that feel that way. I am glad we had time to say goodbye to him.

It's interesting you say it was like there was a welcoming committee in the room towards the end. Starting shortly after we took the job care-taking Miss Irma my husband started seeing apparitions of several different people in/around the house. This went on the whole time, with her even turning to say hello to one of them. We often wondered who these beings were and we did not experience this phenomena anymore after she passed.

There were times when she seemed to realize her situation and started sobbing, and other times when she woke up very disoriented and terrified. Those were tough moments for us all. I also had a hard time not correcting her when she kept calling me by her daughter's name (she did this to my husband too). We did make up Irma songs and it helped our morale even if it didn't do much for her. The terror in her eyes when she was dying was something I'll never forget. I don't think I've ever tried so hard to get through to someone. She couldn't get her breath (she was having a heart attack), and I just kept holding her hand and telling her how much she was loved and how it was okay to let go. I guess her daughter had told her just a few days before the same thing. Maybe she heard her.

Some powerful stories shared here. Thanks to all.

[Fairy Friend]

My father started showing issues in 1997 and by 1999 he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. He lasted 11 years more and died in 2010 of Alzheimer's. It was a very long haul and I tribute him lasting over a decade to the fact that we did not check him into a nursing home, he stayed in his own home and my mother took very good care of him. We were fortunate that he did not suffer from depression which is also something that occurs with this disease quite often. Indeed he was a nicer, more gentle soul.

He was well cared for or he would not have lasted that long. Although the doctors convinced my mother at one point in time that he needed physical therapy and needed to go to a nursing home and she went against my advice and my sister in laws advice to have physical therapy in his home. Instead, they convinced her, he needed to go to a nursing home. He was not in there for a day, no physical therapy was done for him and they dropped him, he was immediately put back into the hospital. He was in worse shape in that 24 hours than when he was checked in. He had never had diaper rash and he was covered in bruises. And we never brought him back to any nursing home.

I too have a rather humorous story also... it was his birthday and he's like "a party what's going on?" And my mom says "it's your birthday" and asked if "he knew how old he was". He said "85". My mom said "no you're 82", and he replied "how can that be? I'm getting younger"....

He requested that he die holding my mother's hand and he died holding my mother's hand.... I miss him....

[NancyV]

Today would be my older sister’s 70th birthday (Happy Birthday, Carol !!) but she died of early onset Alzheimer’s at age 59. About four years before her death I received a phone call from her boyfriend of several years with whom she had been living. He said that he had just moved her into our mother’s house to live with our mother because she was acting very strangely and he didn’t know what else to do. Carol didn’t have any children so my mother and I were her only close family. My husband and son and I lived in Las Vegas at that time and my mother and sister were in Southern Oregon.

So we took a trip within a few days to see what was going on with them. It was worse than I could have imagined. My mother was in the throes of dementia and much of the time seemed like she was possessed by an evil spirit or spirits. My sister was depressed, paranoid and confused. She had not yet been diagnosed with Alzheimers but I suspected that was what it might be. We went home to Vegas and quit our jobs, found a renter for our house, packed up everything and moved very close by to my mother’s house in Ashland Oregon. Then began my journey of taking care of two very sick women.

My mother was quite vicious much of the time and I found the only way to deal with her when she seemed possessed was to give her orders, threaten her and/or yell at her. This seemed to intimidate whatever evil being that was using her. For the first couple of weeks I tried love, understanding, etc etc, but when I finally got angry it worked to stop her insanity and vile behavior for a while….until the next incident. My sister was much happier and relieved that I was there to take care of everything. It also helped that I got my mother to stop being so horribly mean to her and tell her she needed to leave, she didn’t belong there, she didn’t want her there, she hated her, etc. This was not really my mother and I got my sister to understand that she was really sick. She had been somewhat insane her entire life, in my opinion, but she had never been vicious and vile.

We hired someone to come in daily and I was there for several hours every day, plus when my sister could still use a phone I would get many phone calls from her. I tried all kinds of different alternative healing methods, in addition to her regular doctor, and even a couple of different healers, but she kept getting worse rapidly. My mother was too stubborn to try anything other than what she wanted, so I did not attempt to make her do things she didn’t want to do, aside from making her stop vicious behavior. It was almost like having to do an exorcism several times a week when the entity had a strong hold on her. She would scream nasty crap, throw things, hurl insults, etc. But when I put out even stronger energy, you could almost see the entity leave her. She would then heave a big sigh of relief and entirely forget that she had said or done anything horrible.

This was the madhouse I lived with for a bit over 2 years, plus I worked as a bookkeeper for an online investment group so I was constantly busy and stressed. My son helped for the last year they lived at home by moving in so someone would be there at night. It eventually became obvious that they could no longer live without constant care and we found a very nice, small home that had only 8 residents. They were taken care of by 2 wonderful ladies and a nurse would come in several times a week. We visited them 2-3 times a week and my sister had gotten to the point where she barely remembered me. I used to tell her that it didn’t matter what she forgot because she was still a whole soul and her soul remembered everything, that she was the lucky one since she would get to leave and experience the afterlife sooner than I would. I told her how much fun it was going to be and that she would wake up to absolute happiness, joy, love and beauty. She believed me and it used to make her a lot happier to think that her illness was not such a horrible thing.

Our mother died a couple of months before my sister. She was 88. I went to see her the day before she died and in a moment of lucidity she asked me if I really thought there was something after death? All her life she was an agnostic, but she always said she thought there would be nothing after death….just a void and nothingness. I had told her about my near death experience and my years of OBE’s but she didn’t believe me. This time, when she knew she was dying, I think she did believe me. I told her that she was loved and she would soon feel it. She would awake immediately after dying and understand all that she had been through in her life and there would be no shame, blame or harsh judgments. She would be happy and free. She seemed to be completely relieved. I told her to not fight it and just let go. She let go the next morning. We went there the next day and my sister said “Someone just died. She looked like my mother. I wonder who she was.” Then when we were walking down the hall she said “you look like my sister from behind! Do you know her?”

Within a couple of months my sister forgot how to breathe. If someone with Alzheimer’s is very old when they first show symptoms of Alzheimer’s, they often die of other diseases and don’t reach the point where they forget how to breathe, but Carol was still relatively young at 59 so she reached an end stage of Alzheimer’s. Early onset Alzheimer’s can be much more fast acting and for her it only took about 4-5 years from start to finish. When I came to visit on the day she died, every breath was a gasp for air. She wasn’t breathing automatically. I told her to let go, to relax and wake up to her greater self. I told her how much I loved her and that she was about to begin a very exciting adventure and was very lucky to be moving on. I’m not even sure she heard me but maybe on some level she did. She left within about 30 minutes after that.

I was happy they were both released finally, but apparently the experience had been so stressful on me that I had a stroke. Taking care of a loved one, much less 2 at a time, is very stressful even if you think you are handling it well. I think we learn a lot about ourselves through taking care of our loved ones with Alzheimer’s and/or dementia, so in a way it was a positive experience….a blessing for all involved.

After a couple of months of very severe stroke symptoms I found a way to cure myself completely; Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy - PEMFT. Using a Papimi machine I was totally cured within 20 treatments. I have often wondered if it would have worked for my mother and sister and why I didn’t come upon it when there was still time to help them. But ultimately I prefer to think that everything happens for a reason which I don’t often know at this level. I also like to think that no matter how awful things seem or feel, everything happens for the best and highest good for all involved.

Thanks for all the sharing of experiences....

[Sierra]

I have shed a few tears too at reading some of these posts. It has helped me grieve my father some more, especially the last few years. It is not easy to recover from watching some one you love die right before your eyes in slow motion over a period of years. I knew he was dying at least two years before. You know, but you don't really want to believe it. But I am very thankful for those precious few months that we were able to love him and care for him. He had never been able to show much affection because of his wartime experiences as a teenager. It was comforting to be able to care for him, but at the same time it is an unreal experience. I also believe that there is a soul in there somewhere right to the very end. My sister and I both had the impression that there was a welcoming committee in the room, like a celebration or reunion when he died. My mother had very vivid dreams for months where she would go to try and find him and she would find him looking handsome and young again, she said she heard him talking about immigrating to Alaska this time. He talked to her in a garden in one dream and told her to stop looking for him, that he had things to do now. He did believe in reincarnation, maybe he has incarnated in another life, a life where he is free again to follow his ambitions. I guess that is the part that is so sad about Alzheimers, it is as if people are trapped, souls trapped in a body that is not working right anymore. But, I guess there are many people with chronic health issues that feel that way. I am glad we had time to say goodbye to him.

Laughing through tears... When my sister was dying, I felt people (that weren't there) sitting down on the bed, and I felt or strangely saw in a way, people standing around the room.

[Robin]

The universe is rhythmic music that is harmonic to the core of its vibrational marvels. Music inspires, enlightens, uplifts, generates, encodes, and it even heals.

I watched this documentary earlier this year when it came out and was deeply moved by it. This documentary is perfectly aligned with the personal stories and alternative care discussed and shared in this thread. I'd recommend it to everybody.

Here is the description of the documentary on the website (http://www.aliveinside.us/#land):




"ALIVE INSIDE is a joyous cinematic exploration of music’s capacity to reawaken our souls and uncover the deepest parts of our humanity. Filmmaker Michael Rossato-Bennett chronicles the astonishing experiences of individuals around the country who have been revitalized through the simple experience of listening to music. His camera reveals the uniquely human connection we find in music and how its healing power can triumph where prescription medication falls short.

This stirring documentary follows social worker Dan Cohen, founder of the nonprofit organization Music & Memory, as he fights against a broken healthcare system to demonstrate music’s ability to combat memory loss and restore a deep sense of self to those suffering from it. Rossato-Bennett visits family members who have witnessed the miraculous effects of personalized music on their loved ones, and offers illuminating interviews with experts including renowned neurologist and best-selling author Oliver Sacks (Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain) and musician Bobby McFerrin (“Don’t Worry, Be Happy”).

An uplifting cinematic exploration of music and the mind, ALIVE INSIDE’s inspirational and emotional story left audiences humming, clapping and cheering at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award. "
This is a snippet from the documentary, which will prove to be more than emotionally stimulating. I'll warn you that it will be difficult to not shed a tear. :)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw7Y78aqf_I
Robin

[Verdilac]

I have to say I thought I was alone except for my family in what we experienced until I read this post and I've saw what people have wrote and felt.

I remember moving back from abroad to come back home and help my mum with my dad, I left everything behind, my business ,my girlfriend at the time, my life indeed in its entirety , I just made decision that my life was on hold from now as soon as I got the news, I remember sleeping in airports to make the earliest possible flight connections to get back home as fast as I could, I thought the condition could be contained and slowed but I was just plain wrong as I didn't fully understand it.

Its hard to explain to people that have never cared for someone they love with the condition just how it feels.
One of the things that sticks with me is the inability to switch off, it feels like you are watching out for someone even while you sleep so you cant have a really good deep sleep and disengage, but on the other hand you don't really want to disengage as you don't want anything to happen to them.

Sometimes its so hard to think of what happened and the way he went as it seemed to happen in stages, like stepping down a flight of stairs, the thing that I found it hard to deal with and still do. Is how fast it happened and how fast he deteriorated , from being able to play 4 musical instruments to what happened just makes me sad and angry at the same time as I saw how it affected him, he explained it as a fog and a head ache that came upon him that made him sensitive to noise or narration, and also a feeling of being locked in and not being able to find the words to express himself, it actually kills me to think that he expressed this in the beginning and then seeing how bad he got and that he was still feeling this to a much greater degree.

Also when I use to have him in a dream and talk to him then wake up for him not to be with us anymore was so disappointing for a long time, now when he is in a dream I cant bring myself to say much more than a hello as I feel he is gone, I then ask my family in the dream ,how is he here, and they just look at me, its like I'm not quite up to speed with that's happening and they are, its like he's keeping an eye on me, am I alone in having these kinds of dreams if you don't mind me asking.

[Aspen]

No you are not alone in having these types of dreams. Perhaps you have not fully accepted his death yet. Maybe it is too painful right now to do so. Like a form of denial. It is your way of coping. Everyone grieves differently. It will come with time.

[Valle]

Alzheimer's = Diabetes typ "3" - its a basically a high glucose problem.

The problem with Alzheimer's is the growing amount of amylo-plack in the brain - and in a healthy person it is normally removed by IDE (Insulin-degrading enzyme). IDE have two purposes, to lower insulin levels in blood and remove plack.
The problem is if you have to much insulin in your blood (= you have to much glucos) The IDE cant do the job removing the plack.

Check this reserch:
Insulin-degrading enzyme: a link between Alzheimer's and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24059320


And maybe check this video
MbkXdRWjcCg

[The Truth Is In There]

if you want to reverse alzheimers or senile dementia in a person you know there are many things that can be done. here are some:

- change their diet. remove most carbs and add fats, primarily saturated fats (coconut oil is excellent)
- expose their entire body to the sun and let them look into the sun in the morning and evening (no glasses, no sunscreen, no "protection")
- reduce exposure to electric and magnetic fields as much as possible
- make sure they don't use any form of wireless technology
- have them do physical exercise and mental exercise regularly and interchangeably
- clean their elimination channels (colon, kidneys, skin, lungs) - there are many different ways to do this - this is vital
- make sure they drink lots of pure water
- optimize their digestion (right food for their metabolic type, no sugar or processed foods)
- have them take a few drops of iodine (lugol's solution) daily

if you want to check on the reversal process control their irides. there will probably be a sclerotic ring in the upper part or it will be blurred or there will be radial creases from near the pupil upwards to the top area of the iris. all these are signs of brain degeneration - lack of oxygen in the brain or calcification of blood vessels or accumulation of toxins and metabolic end products that haven't been removed. any of these things can be the cause for mental degeneration and the things in the above list will help to reduce/eliminate them.

it takes time to reverse this condition. don't expect immediate signs of improvement. the condition developed over decades, it won't be reversed in a week. that doesn't mean these things don't do their job. they do.

[Gatita]

That's interesting, Truth. I know diets in facilities are not optimal. They have guidelines to follow, with trying to keep everything balanced, and addressing particular dietary needs, but the stuff is still purchased in bulk from food service warehouses. And it's cooked in bulk due to population needs. And dietary staff is understaffed, just like nursing.

Cat

[The Truth Is In There]

something else to keep in mind - the physical is the plane of reaction. the causes of brain diseases are mental. it's basically an accumulation of blockages from the mental body "downward" through the astral (emotional) to the physical body.

what that means is the people who get these diseases remove themselves more and more from the perception of physical reality because of the things that happened in their past which they could not process. each time we can't deal with something a blockage is created. if they're not removed they accumulate, like stones falling into a river that eventually create a dam. these blockages are what creates disease, and with brain diseases you could say that these people don't want to be here anymore because of all the bad stuff they lived through which they still carry around.

something similar but developed differently is autism. the children practically remove themselves from physical reality, only it happens suddenly, not slowly over decades. it can be due to blockages created in this life or residues from previous incarnations (if they're born that way). in order to heal, the blockages that are responsible for the physical condition need to be removed. since this has to do with resonance (like shaking loose the stones and pebbles that created the dam) the best and easiest means to use is the one that offers the full spectrum of frequencies - the sun.

[Joe Sustaire]

No offense truth, but life ain't that simple. I'm sure in some cases your theory applies, but not across the board.

Patty was the most joyful, life-loving person I've ever known. Sure she's had bad things happen to her, as we all have, but she definitely didn't choose to check out because it was too much to deal with.

You know, I'm always suspicious of folks that speak with complete authority on a subject. The longer I live, and learn, and look, and question, the more I've come to realize the most honest answer I can give is, "I don't know". I have thoughts, ideas, suggestions, clues, etc., but "know"? If I'm honest, I realize I don't.

[Gatita]

I agree with Joe. Truth's theory might apply in some cases, but I don't think it's a blanket explanation. I don't know anyone who doesn't have some baggage from the past. Maybe this life, maybe another life. It doesn't mean that it shuts them down. The genetics of alzheimers and autism are still being figured out. There isn't a one size fits all explanation for them.

Cat

[Humble Janitor]

I believe my grandmother is starting to show signs of dementia. I'm not sure if it's alzheimers or not. She's 95. I plan on spending as much time as I can with her. It pains me to know that she can no longer remember recipes or do things she usually does.

[Joe Sustaire]

You know, I read a line posted by gripreaper on another thread today....."Fear and love cannot share the same space, the same time...", not a new or unfamiliar thought, but one that's important to keep in mind.

I've been thinking about Patty and alzheimers lately and find that the most pertinent fact of her condition these days is... that she is still a beautiful soul! She lives totally in the now these days, there is no past and no future, only now. And if you can meet here there and join her there, there is still joy and laughter and beauty and love.

Her ability to understand and interpret her surroundings, when things come at her suddenly, or loudly can frighten her. She can be easily moved to fear. But if she is shown love, and peace, and simple beauty she moves just as quickly to the place of love and beauty. She harbors no anger, resentment or grudges. She walks in beauty, and it feeds my soul, and reminds me of what is important.

[RunningDeer]

You know, I read a line posted by gripreaper on another thread today....."Fear and love cannot share the same space, the same time...", not a new or unfamiliar thought, but one that's important to keep in mind.

I've been thinking about Patty and alzheimers lately and find that the most pertinent fact of her condition these days is... that she is still a beautiful soul! She lives totally in the now these days, there is no past and no future, only now. And if you can meet here there and join her there, there is still joy and laughter and beauty and love.

Her ability to understand and interpret her surroundings, when things come at her suddenly, or loudly can frighten her. She can be easily moved to fear. But if she is shown love, and peace, and simple beauty she moves just as quickly to the place of love and beauty. She harbors no anger, resentment or grudges. She walks in beauty, and it feeds my soul, and reminds me of what is important.

Joe, that’s beautiful! It’s a timely reminder for us all.

FYI: Gripreaper’s post on “Let us choose love” found here (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?78557-Entering-2015-with-awareness..-A-Year-of-Revelations-the-truth-no-matter-where-it-leads-us-coming-home.&p=918381&viewfull=1#post918381).

<3

[The Truth Is In There]

No offense truth, but life ain't that simple. I'm sure in some cases your theory applies, but not across the board.

Patty was the most joyful, life-loving person I've ever known. Sure she's had bad things happen to her, as we all have, but she definitely didn't choose to check out because it was too much to deal with.

You know, I'm always suspicious of folks that speak with complete authority on a subject. The longer I live, and learn, and look, and question, the more I've come to realize the most honest answer I can give is, "I don't know". I have thoughts, ideas, suggestions, clues, etc., but "know"? If I'm honest, I realize I don't.

actually creation functions in a very simple manner, by very simple rules, as does the development of souls "downwards" into the physical and back "upwards" out of the physical. the understanding (still not complete but i'm working on it) came to me quite naturally thanks to some help from the sun, among other things.

we're all on our own path, though, so if you want to see life as more complicated that's fine. i know it isn't and i'm able to explain to myself things like diseases, accidents, deaths, miracles, saints, archons, possession, people who can live without physical food and others. they're all tied together. one of the common denominators are blockages. we all have them, most of them are acted on or circumvented unconsciously - they form our personality (which can appear very kind and loving because of certain blockages), and the more of them one removes the more consciousness expands, understanding grows and healing takes place. the extent to which we create our very own reality is quite impressive. no blockages - no diseases, no food or clothing needed, no fear, no accidents, no death, in fact not even a physical body of any kind is needed unless required for a certain purpose. some people call it christ consciousness. it's actually an unblocked connection to our higher self which, at the highest point, is the creator of all, and even at lower levels is quite powerful, illusion or not.

btw, a theory that is correct applies in all cases and a wrong theory in none. there's no law that governs only a part of creation unless it's one created by man.

[Bill Ryan]

.......

Thank you... but this is not actually pertinent on this thread. Your metaphysical views are [genuinely] most welcome elsewhere. Here, we're sharing the stresses and challenges — and occasional joys! — of caring for loved ones with this terrible condition. Hence the chosen title of the thread. Thanks.

:focus:

[Pam]

I believe my grandmother is starting to show signs of dementia. I'm not sure if it's alzheimers or not. She's 95. I plan on spending as much time as I can with her. It pains me to know that she can no longer remember recipes or do things she usually does.



Humble Janitor, I find it sweet and very touching that you appreciate your grandmother the way you do. Please make sure that she knows how you feel, although, I suspect she aready does.

[Limor Wolf]

You know, I read a line posted by gripreaper on another thread today....."Fear and love cannot share the same space, the same time...", not a new or unfamiliar thought, but one that's important to keep in mind.

I've been thinking about Patty and alzheimers lately and find that the most pertinent fact of her condition these days is... that she is still a beautiful soul! She lives totally in the now these days, there is no past and no future, only now. And if you can meet here there and join her there, there is still joy and laughter and beauty and love.

Her ability to understand and interpret her surroundings, when things come at her suddenly, or loudly can frighten her. She can be easily moved to fear. But if she is shown love, and peace, and simple beauty she moves just as quickly to the place of love and beauty. She harbors no anger, resentment or grudges. She walks in beauty, and it feeds my soul, and reminds me of what is important.

Hello, Joe, thank you so much for sharing, by your stories of yourself and Patty, it is evident that you both walk in content and loving feeling, and the energy flowing is well felt from your words and lightly move on forwards, no blockages : )

Thanks for feeding our soul and reminding us of what is important ~

[Kindling]

You know, I read a line posted by gripreaper on another thread today....."Fear and love cannot share the same space, the same time...", not a new or unfamiliar thought, but one that's important to keep in mind.

I lost my sister and father 2 days apart in November of 2002. My sister had pancreas cancer and my father had colon cancer and advanced heart disease. I provided a large part of their primary care during the 2 years prior to their deaths.

I'm not sure someone is ever the same after experiencing something like that. Sometimes I feel so disappointed in myself for not doing things better or in a different way. Sometimes I am kinder to myself and am very proud of myself for stepping up and doing what was called for at the time no matter the cost. Mostly I know that they were beautiful souls and deserved the very best the universe had to offer and I surely fell short of that. But it's okay because I really did do the very best I could.

There is so much wisdom in the above quote for a caregiver, or even just someone who will be spending time with someone who is in the last phase of this life's journey. “Fear and love cannot share the same space, the same time...” If we are feeling afraid, we can't be feeling (and sharing) love with the friend or family member we are caring for or visiting. I'm surprised to think back and realize how often I felt fear while caring for my family members.

My husband and his family are struggling through the heartbreak of his mother experiencing the last stages of Alzheimer’s. I am going to share that quote with them and also your posts if you don't mind Joe. You are so right that there is much to be thankful for in the now.

Much love and strength to all who have shared.

[FraZZleD]

I lost my mother a year ago to Alzheimer's or Dementia..... My mother is 93 years old and it kills me because I lost my best friend. When I had problems she was who I confided in. Now I just visit her at my son's house and she talks about her pet kiddy mostly. I'll watch TV with her and we'll watch a show and the next day that same show will be on and she'll say I've never seen this one, not remembering we just watched it the day before. She gets real angry when I tell her she has forgotten something.

While searching the net I came across a UTube of a man talking about Coconut Oil helping his elderly father. I watched with curiosity. Then I googled Coconut Oil and found more videos of Dr.'s and people saying the same thing. I watched as many as I could find that night. So I went to the store and bought the Oil and took it to my mother. I put it right where she could see it every day and wrote down instructions for her to take 1 level teaspoon a day. I explained to her that it might help her brain better. I said it several times many different ways in hopes that she might remember.

When I visited her the next week I saw she had been taking the oil. I woke her up and she started talking to me like I haven't heard in a year. She said she was watching the news on the TV and asked me what was going on in the world. I couldn't believe it. I had my mother back! I sat there and talked with her for hours catching her up on all the news. I also told her about her forgetfulness issues I was dealing with. She thanked me for getting her mind back. I told her about some issues I had to deal with and how I handled it with out her advice. She would just say sorry I wasn't there for you, but I seem to be back so call me anytime you need me. She's been doing fine since. She did try to push it and took more that 1 teaspoon and she said don't try that! It will clean you out more than you can imagine. So she's back to just one teaspoon a day ONLY! lol.

She had one relapse because her cat kept climbing on the desk where it was so she put it in a cupboard so the cat won't get around it. Well then she forgot to take it and when I visited her she was gone again. I pulled it out and told her she had to keep it in her sight to help her remember to take it. I wrote her a note DO NOT PUT IT OUT OF SIGHT, TAKE IT EVERY DAY.

She hasn't had a relapse since. I hope this helps someone else! It really does work for my mother and it's all natural.

I started taking it for myself because I have dyslexia. No short term memory. When I read I have trouble remembering what I read. I've had this all my life. Well after a week of taking it, I was tested at work. We test yearly for our jobs. Anyways, for the first time I did not have to reread the questions. I did not have to reread the choices. I knew and understood what I read the first time and knew the answer instantly. I was almost the first person to get 100% on my test. I was talking to a coworker on testing day and he said he was using the oil for a different reason. And for the first time he got 100% on the test also! It worked for both of us and we both had the same problems taking tests. Not remembering clearly. So it not only works for the elderly it also works for dyslexia and reading problems. We were the only ones that I heard of that got 100% on the test.

FraZZleD

[Gemma13]

Appreciate the connective sharing as have also had a few experiences. In a musical mood today for sharing - please do justice to the lyrics by listening to the powerful contributory voice that sings them:

I-fa7tg124o

Lyrics:
See the children playing
Hear the sounds of virgin minds
Come hear what they're saying
There's so much to find

Count how many pages
Hoped and dreamed with clovers found
Reaped in different phrases
One wish going round

Friend come sit beside me
Fear me not, for I am you
Friend come walk beside me
There's so much to do

Sing the song so clearly
Make the words rise up above
Mean each line sincerely
Sing an ode to love

Make your heart a shelter
For someone who's lost his way
Make the sun shine brighter
With each word you say

Sing the song so clearly
Make the words rise up above
Mean each line sincerely
Sing an ode to love

[Joe Sustaire]

I thought I'd pass on a lighter moment with Patty that happened a couple of years ago.

Her ability to track a conversation and stay focused on what you were talking about, had diminished considerably. Which meant that I had learned to focus my conversation and get to the point rather quickly, or else you would lose her attention. One Sunday Patty and I, along with our son Steve, had a couple of friends over for lunch. We were just enjoying our meal and my buddy Don, was holding forth on some subject or other. Now he is one of those that likes to hear himself talk and is rather long winded, often repeating stories he's told you numerous times before, with no detail left out. We were all being polite and listening to him go on, Patty was eating quietly when all of a sudden she looks up and just goes..... "blah, blah, blah", and goes on back to eating. She really hit the nail on the head and voiced what many of us were thinking. My buddy was a bit more restrained in his story-telling the rest of the day. ;)

You've got to learn to take the joy when it comes...

Best to all!

[Brakeman]

Bill - Thank you for this very timely thread. And thank you everyone for all the stories you've shared. This has really meant a lot to me in this time.

My grandmother passed away four evenings ago. Although she was recently diagnosed as having Alzheimer's disease, she left this world following complications from a minor unrelated procedure. I am thankful that she did not have to suffer from Alzheimer's though. I worried and my mother worried that we would have to watch that sharp look she always had in her eyes fade away. That would be so painful for us as she held onto her intelligence and wittiness even beyond the diagnosis.

Thank you again Bill and everone for posting to this thread.

You all will be in my thoughts as I attend the service and reminisce with family.

[avid]

I have just had a terrible conversation with a best friend. This friend is going through "double grief" - the end of a parent who no longer recognises her, and the definitive end of her mother's death. She wishes it would all end soon. My friend feels terrible guilt, but we wish that there should be no suffering to any of our loved ones. I am trying to help my friend, as I lost 2 parents in one year, and was happy for my Mum who had a terrible quality of life - that was a blessing. But my friend is full of angst against the care home, the carers (who are paid pittances) and somehow offended the sensibilities of folk in the care home who should NOT be jollified in any circumstance! If you have issues against staff in care homes who are seemingly 'insensitive' - remember - these staff are on minimum wage, they have very little or no issues with the incumbents apart from keeping them alive and comfortable, they are trained to keep their patient positive at all times. They have little health background information on who or what their charges are there unless it's severe health disablement, or the ghastly memory problems...Bottom line - mostly the invaluable carers have no clue 'who' they are caring for, they treat everyone as they are paid to do, with love and care.
http://www.cqc.org.uk/content/contact-us
Care Quality Commission.
If you have issues - contact your local authority immediately, and also the CQC in UK.

[Verdilac]

No you are not alone in having these types of dreams. Perhaps you have not fully accepted his death yet. Maybe it is too painful right now to do so. Like a form of denial. It is your way of coping. Everyone grieves differently. It will come with time.

I'm not sure if I have accepted his passing Aspen, I can't call it death as It just doesn't feel like that to me. Its feels like he is still around me but he isn't on the same level or wavelength as I am at the moment, but that feels temporary, it definitely feels temporary .
And the feeling that I get when I feel he is still around is like a stillness in time from the inside out. Like a warmth and a clarity , you could call it a slow down & a tuning in, its like the feeling you get when the sun comes out and you feel it on your face for a few moments on a cold cloudy day, and you stop and you think Wow, where did the that come from, I completely wasn't expecting that but It just makes all the difference at that time.
It may not happen very often but It just reminds you not to forget what you had & what you shared together and also helps you with where you are in your life at the moment.

[Brakeman]

Thank you all so much for all the support and messages.

It's been rough for us all. I've never been in this kind of situation before. Very bittersweet to day the least. She left everything to me. My family isn't pleased. I'm feeling every kind feeling at once if that makes any sense.

[waves]

Thank you all so much for all the support and messages.

It's been rough for us all. I've never been in this kind of situation before. Very bittersweet to day the least. She left everything to me. My family isn't pleased. I'm feeling every kind feeling at once if that makes any sense.

I totally understand, I've had few deaths in my very small family so not a lot of experience. But then my only, younger cousin died in another state last year who I could only ever have surface conversation with from totally different views of reality, who left me out of both his will and being aware his even being that sick, and for months I switched back and forth from every intense feeling in the book. Immense loss and emptiness... then frustration with his bullheaded blind mind... then resentment that he left me out of being there for him.... then resentment that he left me out of our family legacy... then feeling a gigantic hole in heart missing him.... then resentment at the price he paid for not taking care of himself and rejecting me for my stupid healthy habits... then feeling deprived of getting old with him.... then guilty wondering what else I should have/could have done.... then feeling thrown out of a bus with the sudden loss and the world so much emptier..... then... then... then.... It was an unexpected roller coaster for a long time. I assume this is very, very common.

Maybe it all reduces down to the shock of the unfinished business that is now unfinishable - a reminder for what you still have a chance to not let happen with those still living.

[Brakeman]

Thank you so so much, this makes me feel less alone. It's been a traumatic time and I have really no one in my family to turn to...

Today was just moreshouting between my mom and my sister. The money seems to have made them all mad, like monsters. I can't even see what I used to love about them anymore. I can't take this shouting anymore. Grandma would have been horrified.

I'll keep you all updated and help being awareness to this sort of thing, you're all here for me and I need that more than you could know...

[Bill Ryan]

:bump:

Dear All,

I'm bumping this important thread for new (and recently returned) members. There is much here that is extremely profound, thought-provoking and moving.

[Pam]

I have just had a terrible conversation with a best friend. This friend is going through "double grief" - the end of a parent who no longer recognises her, and the definitive end of her mother's death. She wishes it would all end soon. My friend feels terrible guilt, but we wish that there should be no suffering to any of our loved ones. I am trying to help my friend, as I lost 2 parents in one year, and was happy for my Mum who had a terrible quality of life - that was a blessing. But my friend is full of angst against the care home, the carers (who are paid pittances) and somehow offended the sensibilities of folk in the care home who should NOT be jollified in any circumstance! If you have issues against staff in care homes who are seemingly 'insensitive' - remember - these staff are on minimum wage, they have very little or no issues with the incumbents apart from keeping them alive and comfortable, they are trained to keep their patient positive at all times. They have little health background information on who or what their charges are there unless it's severe health disablement, or the ghastly memory problems...Bottom line - mostly the invaluable carers have no clue 'who' they are caring for, they treat everyone as they are paid to do, with love and care.
http://www.cqc.org.uk/content/contact-us
Care Quality Commission.
If you have issues - contact your local authority immediately, and also the CQC in UK.


You mentioned the guilt that your friend is experiencing regarding the illness of your friends mom because she wishes it would end. I remember feeling those same things about my dad. Yes, I wished it would end so he did not have to continue the spiral down to the end result of the disease. The really hard part for me, and it is hard to admit here, is that a part of me wanted it to end so that I would not have to endure it any longer. Alzheimer's is so depleting to everyone involved on so many levels, that at times I just did not want to do it any more. Admitting to myself that I was feeling this added another level of grief to the whole process. I wasn't the endlessly compassionate daughter I wanted to see myself as. I was weak and selfish to some degree and to this day I am not proud of it.

I can take small comfort that I did my best for him, and in hindsight I wish I had done some things differently,but, I have come to accept my flaws and weaknesses and I have made peace with the situation.

[waves]

.....You mentioned the guilt that your friend is experiencing regarding the illness of your friends mom because she wishes it would end. I remember feeling those same things about my dad. Yes, I wished it would end so he did not have to continue the spiral down to the end result of the disease. The really hard part for me, and it is hard to admit here, is that a part of me wanted it to end so that I would not have to endure it any longer. Alzheimer's is so depleting to everyone involved on so many levels, that at times I just did not want to do it any more. Admitting to myself that I was feeling this added another level of grief to the whole process. I wasn't the endlessly compassionate daughter I wanted to see myself as. I was weak and selfish to some degree and to this day I am not proud of it.

I can take small comfort that I did my best for him, and in hindsight I wish I had done some things differently,but, I have come to accept my flaws and weaknesses and I have made peace with the situation.

Now that I've experienced it from the helpless caretaker's perspective, I would not fault my child for wishing any helplessness with me would end if it ever came to that. I felt the same as you and frequently felt very guilty for prolonging my mom's misery and not figuring out some way to help her end it as she was begging for two years. Doing what was necessary every day to prolong her life felt like helping torture her when she was just deteriorating so slowly and could not in the least communicate any thoughts, discomforts or desires. I think there's a lot to be said for the fact that in 'civilized' society you no longer have the freedom to let nature take it's course like it would without the medical establishment's unnatural prolonging and prolonging against one's will.

[LindyLou22]

Did anyone notice that a very easy and inexpensive treatment for Alzheimer dementia, even possibly a cure for it, is widely available? My thread about it here on this forum only garnered 6 replies.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=ashwagandha+alzheimer

It seems like there must be karmic reasons why a lot of people need to experience various facets of this disease, either as patient or caregiver. Even within my own extended family I've encountered a total lack of interest in this simple herbal extract. Besides that, the research is very clear; yet so many people suffering with this situation don't take the time to google it.

*
*

[ks4ever]

I recently ordered a Neurophone (Neural Efficiency Optimizer} from Patrick Flannagan and wondered if it could help my partner's alzheimers. So I sent an email and got the following reply:
"Thank you kindly for your email and for the interest in our product. The Neurophone could be of assistance for the condition you mentioned in your email. The Neurophone will enhance the memory and improve the neural connection, let us know how we can be of further assistance."
For information on Patrick Flannagan go to http://www.phisciences.com/
For information on the Neurophone go to http://www.newneurophone.com/

[Joe Sustaire]

eaglespirit posted this vid on his thread "Am I Making Myself Perfectly Clear".

It's a presentation on healing research by Dr. Bill Bengston. At the end of this presentation he says that he's gotten reports back from some people that this technique works on alzheimers.

Worth checking out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pryU2pKmJh4

[earthdreamer]

I just watched a terrific documentary about the healing power of music for Alzheimer's sufferers that I wanted to share for anyone who hasn't already heard of it:

http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Alive-Inside-A-Story-of-Music-Memory/70299276?trkid=5966279

Alive Inside: A Story of Music & Memory

"This moving documentary follows social worker Dan Cohen as he uses music to unlock memory in nursing-home patients with Alzheimer's disease. Aided by well-known neurologist Oliver Sacks, Cohen aims to transform the quality of life for the afflicted."

Bless all those sharers of personal stories that are so heart-wrenching and thanks to the contributors of alternative healing supplements. I informed my elderly parents-in-law of the benefits of coconut oil (and I decided to start consuming it myself too). My heart goes out to those whose lives are so profoundly affected by loved ones suffering dementia disease.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyZQf0p73QM

[ks4ever]

A breakthrough from the University of Brisbane.

12 March 2015
Queensland scientists have found that non-invasive ultrasound technology can be used to treat Alzheimer’s disease and restore memory.
Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research director Professor Jürgen Götz said the new treatment method could revolutionise Alzheimer’s treatment by restoring memory.
“We’re extremely excited by this innovation of treating Alzheimer’s without using drug therapeutics,” Professor Götz said.
“The ultrasound waves oscillate tremendously quickly, activating microglial cells that digest and remove the amyloid plaques that destroy brain synapses.
http://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2015/03/alzheimer%E2%80%99s-breakthrough-uses-ultrasound-technology

If anyone is interested in trying similar technology they should try Dr. Patrick Flanagan's new Neurophone which will become available in June this year. See the following link for more details.
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/neo-neural-efficiency-optimizer-neurophone
I wrote an email to Patrick and this was his reply:
"The Neurophone could be of assistance for the condition you mentioned in your email. The Neurophone will enhance the memory and improve the neural connection"

Patrick's Neurophone may not be the answer, but I am willing to give it a try to see if it works as it also uses ultrasonic waves to soothe and centre your mind.

[Hervé]

I have lost track of what's been posted on this thread and apologize in advance if this has already been posted:

Turmeric boosts working memory in one small dose (http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/turmeric-boosts-working-memory-one-small-dose)

Sayer Ji
GreenMedInfo.com (http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/turmeric-boosts-working-memory-one-small-dose) Thu, 30 Apr 2015 12:39 UTC


One small dose of turmeric powder was found to improve working memory in pre-diabetic patients.


http://www.sott.net/image/s12/243748/large/turmeric_brain_boosting_memory.jpg (http://www.sott.net/image/s12/243748/full/turmeric_brain_boosting_memory.jpg)


Interest in turmeric as a tonic and regenerative agent for brain conditions is growing rapidly. Given the increased prevalence of neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, as well as an alarming uptick in brain cancer and the cognitively impairing metabolic dysregulations associated with type 2 diabetes.

Turmeric and its primary polyphenol curcumin (http://www.greenmedinfo.com/substance/curcumin) hold great promise as an alternative to pharmaceuticals, none of which have been shown to address nor resolve the root causes of disease.

A recent study published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition titled, "Turmeric improves post-prandial working memory in pre-diabetes independent of insulin (http://apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/APJCN/23/4/581.pdf)", reveals the unique therapeutic profile of this ancient Indian spice in preventing cognitive impairment linked to pre-diabetes and dementia.

The study enrolled 48 60-year olds with newly recognized yet untreated pre-diabetes. They were randomized to receive either a placebo, turmeric (1,000 mg), cinnamon (2,000 mg) or both (1,000 mg & 2,000 mg respectively), ingested at a white bread (119 g) breakfast.

The researchers observed the participants' metabolic responses over a 6 hour period for the following parameters:
· Pre- and post-working memory (WM),

· Glycemic and insulin responses

· Biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD)(measured at 0, 2, 4 and 6 hours):
o amyloid precursor protein (APP),

o γ-secretase subunits presenilin-1 (PS1),

o presenilin-2 (PS2),

o glycogen synthase kinase (GSK-3β).

The study results were reported as follows:

"We found that a modest addition of 1 g turmeric to a rather nutritionally-bland breakfast of white bread improved working memory (WM) over 6 hours in older people with pre-diabetes. This was not the case for 2 g cinnamon." Moreover, they observed that body fatness and insulin resistance modulated the effect that turmeric had on improving working memory, "suggesting that the benefits of turmeric might be enhanced where these characteristics were less abnormal."

While the study found the Alzheimer's biomarkers "showed active correlations among themselves during the 6 hour study, these did not account for the link between turmeric and WM." In other words, the researchers surmised that while the spice components access and modulate traditional Alzheimer's biomarker pathways, no definitive mechanisms of action explaining how they affect working memory could be discerned in the study.

Interestingly, the study intentionally selected whole turmeric powder instead of extracts of curcuminoids (http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/how-whole-turmeric-heals-damaged-brain-1), as is normally the case, in order to simulate real-world culinary exposure to the spice:

"We deliberately used whole turmeric rather than curcuminoids or turmeric extracts. We wanted to examine the commodity used in daily life and with which there are generations of experience and presumptive safety across Asian food cultures - south, north-east and south-east Asia, albeit in a range of cuisines. The amounts used were also within the usual household range." This study adds to a growing body of literature showing that turmeric/curcumin is both an excellent intervention for pre-diabetic patients (with up to a 100% prevention rate, according to a Diabetes Care (http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/turmeric-extract-100-effective-preventing-type-2-diabetes-ada-journal-study-finds) study published two years ago), as well as anti-dementia agent, as evaluated in greater detail in previous reports we have done on the subject:

Turmeric Produces 'Remarkable' Recovery in Alzheimer's (http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/turmeric-produces-remarkable-recovery-alzheimers-patients)
Turmeric Extract Improves Brain Function In One Dose (http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/one-dose-kitchen-spice-improves-brain-function)
How Turmeric Can Save the Aging Brain From Dementia (http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/how-turmeric-can-save-aging-brain-dementia-and-premature-death)

[craig mitchell]

Now, a year later we are engaged in a distressing and expensive law suit in an effort to set this wrong to rights. All the manipulations by my brother are now being brought to light, by our fortunately honest and hard working lawyer, have been shocking and disgusting. Save yourself this additional pain by having transparency about the estate, and copies of the will to all parties. Maintain a watch on any activity or change in all of this.

Quick update: After fourteen months of litigation, depositions, expense, and greif, my sister and I managed to force my (ex) brother into an out-of-court settlement. The division was still largely in his favor but we said a loud and, to him, painfulNO! Please people, remember that it's hard to pry from unwilling hands what has already been stolen.....so again, transparency and copies of the will to everyone. There's no substitute for taking responsibility for all you're involved in. (willingly or not)

[Limor Wolf]

I just watched a terrific documentary about the healing power of music for Alzheimer's sufferers that I wanted to share for anyone who hasn't already heard of it:

http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Alive-Inside-A-Story-of-Music-Memory/70299276?trkid=5966279

Alive Inside: A Story of Music & Memory

"This moving documentary follows social worker Dan Cohen as he uses music to unlock memory in nursing-home patients with Alzheimer's disease. Aided by well-known neurologist Oliver Sacks, Cohen aims to transform the quality of life for the afflicted."

Bless all those sharers of personal stories that are so heart-wrenching and thanks to the contributors of alternative healing supplements. I informed my elderly parents-in-law of the benefits of coconut oil (and I decided to start consuming it myself too). My heart goes out to those whose lives are so profoundly affected by loved ones suffering dementia disease.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyZQf0p73QM


I've been watching this very moving documantry yesterday, also mentioned by Robin on this (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?78069-Caring-for-relatives-with-Alzheimer-s-the-modern-curse-of-the-elderly&p=914626&viewfull=1#post914626)post and thought about Joe sustaire, Billy and everyone who shared their own encounter with the disease of their loved ones, sometimes on a painfully close daily basis, bless you all.

You are absolutely right, earthdreamer, this is a most heart touching, full of humaness, hopeful but challenging representaion of the human soul of Altzheimer patients via close observence of the small nuances of both the person and the family and the great relief that the music brings in moments of sheer happiness where the memories start to flood

Authentic and inspiring documentation.
Touching ~

[sleepydumpling]

thank you all for sharing such moving experiences.
My uncle has Alzheimer's and is now in a clinic waiting for a place in a care home to become available.
My auntie tried her best for long enough and it was wearing her out so with a heavy heart she decided it
was for the best.

he has no idea who any of us are any more but every now and again he looks at my father who is his brother and says his name
then its gone again.
Now my dad is starting to show signs as he is getting very forgetful and cannot remember names.
he is worried about it himself and has been to get tested and we are waiting for the results

He is a diabetic and had major heart surgery three years ago and the amount of pills he has to take is ridiculous
I often think it is the so called side effects of these pills that are bringing on his memory loss but I am no expert
Thank you all once again for sharing your experience's .

[Verdilac]

thank you all for sharing such moving experiences.
My uncle has Alzheimer's and is now in a clinic waiting for a place in a care home to become available.
My auntie tried her best for long enough and it was wearing her out so with a heavy heart she decided it
was for the best.

he has no idea who any of us are any more but every now and again he looks at my father who is his brother and says his name
then its gone again.
Now my dad is starting to show signs as he is getting very forgetful and cannot remember names.
he is worried about it himself and has been to get tested and we are waiting for the results

He is a diabetic and had major heart surgery three years ago and the amount of pills he has to take is ridiculous
I often think it is the so called side effects of these pills that are bringing on his memory loss but I am no expert
Thank you all once again for sharing your experience's .

I can see your post is a few months old but My heart goes out to you after what must have been a very difficult time & still will be, I really hope everyone is coping ok .
Many on here have had to make the same decision as your Auntie has, and its undescribably difficult to do, its a decision that is hard to live with but when you end up mentally & physically exhausted from caring 24/7 there sometimes is no option unless you have a very large family that can share the responsibility, but even then its still very very hard.

Keep your chin up with regards your father, go & see his doctor and fight his corner if you think his medication is having negative effects on his memory, as you only get 1 Father, its better to try and do something than have regrets.

[Constance]

Bumping. For all those who are affected in some way by Alzheimers :bearhug:

[Bill Ryan]

:bump:

And bumping again. In a way, this thread might well be in The Human Condition (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/forumdisplay.php?178-The-Human-Condition). Because not only does it fracture the life of the poor person directly afflicted — but it has a very deep impact on those closest to them as well.

For those new to this thread, there are some profoundly moving stories here, and this is Avalon at its very finest. For anyone concerned about this terrible condition, it's a must read.

:flower:

[Rosemarie]

The long goodbye they call it. My mother had it. We started to glimpse its ugly face around 8 years before my mother died. Very slowly we started to see changes.

My mother would change the name of things , a jacuzzi was a susuki , she would forget our names, or have the same book for hours in her hands and don’t move a page. In fact I think that was the hardest for me. She , the one that instilled in me the love of books, that read books constantly , was unable to concentrate in even a page, and I started to see the same book on her table day after day after day.

She started to ask the same questions , over and over again. My brothers had the patience of saints , but they lived in other parts of the city and didn’t see her as often as I. I lived in the same condo and was always going up and down between my home and hers. My patience was less and I would scold her at first. After a while she started talking less and less, would just smile at us , loosing that sparkle in her eyes.

My mother was one of the most loving person I had ever known. She was a giver , always wanting to nurture you. I, who had lived since I was 17 far from home and done it on my own , when I returned home at 42 with 2 kids 14 and 12 , became the daughter she had lost at 17. I did not think I needed her , but she , in her wisdom knew more than me , and gave me huge amount of love I thought I did not need. I was caring and providing all my kids needs , but she was providing mine.

Then , as often happens in cases like this , I became the adult , the parent , and she my child. I adored her, and would sit close to her and either talk or read to her. I knew I would never had her back as a whole person but I wanted to soak in her essence as I knew she would soon be gone. It was hard. Sometimes for little moments she mas lucid and did recalled my name and who I was , even mad I was asking that silly question.

I had the best brothers you can imagen, managing my mother finances , providing for everything , visiting constantly. She was lucky to have the means to provide for herself the best care with nurses around the clock and people that had worked for her for a long time that truly loved her and became her extended family over the years.

A year before she died , she had a fall and broke her femur. After the operation and physical therapy she was never the same. She could just move around her room from sofa to bed or wheelchair. Never again to go out and Have a drive with any of us for distraction. We would turn the tv on to her favorite sports , tennis and golf. We would visit constantly but just talk between us , she just lost not present. Her soul , hopefully , doing something somewhere else because this earthly body was failing her.

She had always had a fixation with the care she would need when she got sick. This , I think , came after taking care of my father who had died of pancreatic cancer at 67. She had everything in order and she had a living will. No resuscitation. No feeding tube. It was very hard for my older brother to see my mother start having problems swallowing.

The night before she died , he had talked with her doctor about putting the tube in. The doctor, having seen my mother's living will told him he would advice against it since he wanted to honor my mothers wishes.
Thanks God , we did not had that talk with my brother because I would also had oppose it and a fight would had happen.

Next day , a Sunday , I was up and down our apartments and at 6 pm decided to go and see the Emmys in her room. She was sleeping when I got there, I told the nurse to go and rest and I put my chair next to her bed and held her hand. After and hour I felt her hand getting colder. She was dying while we were holding hands ....,and I never knew it. I think that was her parting gift to me. What an honor to have been with her in her last moments on earth.

We had started grieving for the absence of the person she was long before her death. Her personality had vanished with her cognitive skills and memory.

Edit: I have never talked about this. Just wrote that very early in the morning. Lots of things lacking. I might add as I remember more.
Please forgive my gramatical errors. I did the best I could.

[ulli]

Thank you for sharing, Rosemarie. Must have been hard for you, reliving those sad memories. But she will send you blessings, for having been a good daughter right until the end.

[AutumnW]

I helped care for my mother in the final couple of months before she entered an extended care facility. She would not allow anybody to help her with personal hygiene issues, so it was time. This tiny person, rail thin from brain disease had so much fight in her. Trying to humanely attend to her basic needs felt like trying to overpower a pro midget wrestler. Damn she was strong.

Her descent was mercifully rapid. She died three years after it became obvious there was some kind of problem and we opted for a humane tube free death as well. When she began to have extreme problems swallowing, I directed the care aid to quit feeding her as she had a life long fear of suffocation and choking having had whooping cough as a toddler. She also had infections and she had lost the ability to communicate very early on in the course of her disease, so there was no way of knowing if she was suffering and to what extent.

She left the world with a smile on her face and she looked almost radiant. It was such a relief and one of the happiest moments of my life. I prayed for her death. Nobody should feel guilty for wishing someone in end stage dementia to die. And if part of that desire is related to the fact that it is very difficult and pointless to look after someone past the point where there is any meaning attached to their lives, that's okay too.

The most callously careless thing a few people said to 'comfort' me, was that my mother was perfectly mentally fit, just locked inside her brain, unable to convey anything to the outside world. They obviously didn't think it through. The torture of being fully aware and trapped inside yourself would be much worse than your brain shutting down, across the board. With severe forms of dementia the mind is gone as well as the ability to communicate. They parallel one another.

I am preparing now for the possibility that I may experience what my mother went through. I have no children, but I do have proxy children, people I have helped out and who will help me if I need it. I don't want them to look after me, I just want them to hire people who will, and I would like it if they would look after my finances. i have had to live a very orderly life that is as seamless and spare as possible, so far and I don't want that to change. Sounds really boring but I fear like Hell a spiraling down into chaos!

[OSIRIS7]

thx for your share , my mom is in a home now and the caretakers r very loving and gentil.
sometimes i feel guilty to leave her there that is the most heartbreaking , but yet again 15 min later it gone anyway !
have you seen my brothers ... NOOOOOOO..... any other family member NOOOOOOOOOOO
then " of my brother came the same day and spent time with here , bying new clothes , having a coffee at the bar .... but when i ask did u ..... NOOOOOOo
well, maybe it is all part of life we choose to go , before we ended up in this new body

[onawah]

Emerging research underscores the critical need to protect compounded bioidentical hormones. Action Alert!
Alliance for Natural Health
12/19/19
https://anh-usa.org/new-hope-for-alzheimers/

"Almost six million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, and it is projected to afflict many more in coming years. Big Pharma has been unable to produce drugs that treat this debilitating disease. New research, however, is suggesting that Alzheimer’s is more complex than previously thought, requiring an individualized approach that can include hormone replacement therapy. Unfortunately, the FDA is poised to eliminate consumer access to compounded, bioidentical hormones. We must continue to voice opposition to a ban on these important treatments.

Leading the charge on this new approach is Dr. Dale Bredesen (here is a link to his book on Amazon). The prevailing wisdom about Alzheimer’s is that it is caused by buildup of amlyloid plaque in the brain. Drug trials have been targeted at removing these plaques. But according to Dr. Bredesen and his colleagues, this is wrong. Dr. Bredesen has suggested that the buildup of amlyloid plaque is a symptom, rather than the cause of Alzheimer’s.

Further, Dr. Bredesen thinks there are three forms of Alzheimer’s with at least 36 contributing factors to the disease. Individualized protocols must be developed to address these factors. Dr. Bredesen uses an analogy of a leaky roof with 36 holes to illustrate his approach, where the size of the different holes depends on genetics and environment. Each “hole” will be a different size in each person, meaning some may not need to be addressed while others do. But plugging just one of the holes will not stop the rain from getting in—this is why Big Pharma’s approach fails. One drug may address one of the contributing factors for Alzheimer’s, but the rest of the “holes” remain.

Dr. Bredesen identifies three types of Alzheimer’s. One type is caused by inflammation; another is caused by a lack hormones and nutrients necessary to maintain brain plasticity; another type is caused by exposure to stress and environmental toxins, like mercury or mycotoxins from mold.

Hormones are particularly important for addressing the second type of Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Bredesen writes that estriol, estradiol, and progesterone have brain-protective effects and a “direct effect on the molecular balance that drives Alzheimer’s disease.” Dr. Bredesen says that, “Reaching optimal hormone levels is one of the most effective and most critical parts of [the Bredesen Protocol].”

Other research has shown that estrogen plays an important role in the brain, including the modulation of synaptogenesis, increased cerebral blood flow, mediation of important neurotransmitters and hormones, anti-inflammatory actions, and antioxidant properties. Dr. Bredesen emphasizes the importance of taking these hormones transvaginally, since oral administration can lead to liver problems—something conventional medicine often misses. He also emphasizes the importance of optimizing testosterone levels to support the brain.

To restore proper hormone function, Dr. Bredesen recommends bioidentical hormones as opposed to synthetic hormones, as bioidentical hormones are identical to the hormones produced by the human body.

Note that many of the FDA-approved bioidentical hormone products are taken orally, not vaginally as Dr Bredesen and most integrative doctors recommend, and for estriol there is no FDA-approved product, meaning it must be made at compounding pharmacies. This emphasizes the importance of having compounded bioidentical hormones as an option. Unlike FDA approved hormone drugs, compounded hormones can be customized to a patient’s specific needs: pharmacies can make medicines using doctor-preferred delivery mechanisms (i.e. creams for hormones), allergen-free formulations, and they can personalize dosages. Bioidentical hormones also appear to be safer, particularly estriol.

As explained above with the leaky roof analogy, the Bredesen Protocol is tailored to the individual and includes cleaning up the diet (cutting out simple carbs and eating more vegetables and fruits); getting enough sleep; exercising regularly; ensuring hormone levels are correct, regular fasting; proper supplementation; and much more. The protocol is individually tailored depending on which “holes” need to be plugged in the leaky roof.

Using this protocol, Dr. Bredesen has been able to help improve Alzheimer’s in over 200 patients. He is attempting to fundraise for a larger clinical study, but as this isn’t a drug protocol and isn’t a one-size-fits all solution, funding can be difficult to come by.

Other research has supported the notion that hormones have a role in Alzheimer’s:

One study found a 12 percent lower risk of dementia for women who had three or more children compared to women who had one child.
Another study showed that women who begin menstruating earlier and went through menopause later have a lower risk of developing dementia.
A study of 133 elderly women found that the more months of pregnancy meant a lower risk for developing Alzheimer’s.
The connection between pregnancy and reduced Alzheimer’s risk further suggests estriol’s role in protecting against the disease, as during pregnancy estriol levels rise significantly—in fact it is the most produced estrogen during that time.

This promising research gives hope to the millions of Americans who suffer from Alzheimer’s as well as their families and loved ones. It is also a stunning endorsement of integrative medicine that utilizes and individualized approach to treating illness (Dr. Bredesen is a conventionally trained physician who was introduced to integrative medicine by his wife, Dr. Aida Lasheen Bredesen).

It is a scandal that the FDA is considering a ban on compounded bioidentical hormones like estriol, estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone—medicines that could help Alzheimer’s patients, in addition to the 2.5 million women who rely on these medicines to manage menopause.

The FDA must continue to hear from the public about the urgent need to retain consumer access to compounded bioidentical hormones.

Action Alert! Send a message to the FDA and Congress telling them not to ban compounded bioidentical hormones. Please send your message immediately."
https://anh-usa.org/new-hope-for-alzheimers/

[RunningDeer]

Leading the charge on this new approach is Dr. Dale Bredesen (here is a link to his book on Amazon). The prevailing wisdom about Alzheimer’s is that it is caused by buildup of amlyloid plaque in the brain. Drug trials have been targeted at removing these plaques. But according to Dr. Bredesen and his colleagues, this is wrong. Dr. Bredesen has suggested that the buildup of amlyloid plaque is a symptom, rather than the cause of Alzheimer’s.


The End of Alzheimer's: The First Program to Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0735216207/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0)
(August 22, 2017)

1,095 customer ratings: 4.5 stars out of 5

* I find it equally beneficial to read the low ratings. Not only for books but for other products on Amazon. I appreciate when customers add photos. And there are times when I'm appreciative of any information no matter what the customers think.



https://i.imgur.com/gHPu2Bt.jpg


Summary:




A groundbreaking plan to prevent and reverse Alzheimer’s Disease that fundamentally changes how we understand cognitive decline.
 
Everyone knows someone who has survived cancer, but until now no one knows anyone who has survived Alzheimer's Disease. 
 
In this paradigm shifting book, Dale Bredesen, MD, offers real hope to anyone looking to prevent and even reverse Alzheimer's Disease and cognitive decline.  Revealing that AD is not one condition, as it is currently treated, but three, The End of Alzheimer’s outlines 36 metabolic factors (micronutrients, hormone levels, sleep) that can trigger "downsizing" in the brain. The protocol shows us how to rebalance these factors using lifestyle modifications like taking B12, eliminating gluten, or improving oral hygiene.
 
The results are impressive. Of the first ten patients on the protocol, nine displayed significant improvement with 3-6 months; since then the protocol has yielded similar results with hundreds more. Now, The End of Alzheimer’s brings new hope to a broad audience of patients, caregivers, physicians, and treatment centers with a fascinating look inside the science and a complete step-by-step plan that fundamentally changes how we treat and even think about AD.

For more information, including articles and diagrams, please visit Drbredesen.com or mpicognition.com.

[RogeRio]

The End of Alzheimer’s outlines 36 metabolic factors (micronutrients, hormone levels, sleep) that can trigger "downsizing" in the brain.

I had notice that Strogen (the hormone basis used in birth control pills), it has no side effects, and helps the brain to create new ways to solve problems, ranging from motor mobility problems to cognitive problems, with a combination of treatments appropriate to each case, which obviously depends a lot on the patient's own effort.

[Iloveyou]

fgDjG8HR3tg
(2015)

Want to bump this extraordinary thread and thank all participants . . . it gives strengths and optimism to people who might have to deal with these experiences in the future.

Coincidentally I found this author mentioned on another thread, thanks!
(http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?106544-What-are-you-reading&p=1329356&viewfull=1#post1329356)

The Gift of Alzheimer‘s

Maggie La Tourelle, a psychotherapist and healer, documents her evolving relationship with her mother who has Alzheimer’s, interprets what she is saying and gives a moving account of their journey together. It is a multidimensional story that demonstrates the healing power of love and how, by being open and seeking meaning, we can find wisdom in the midst of confusion, and freedom from suffering, and bliss, in other world dimensions.

This book will change how you perceive Alzheimers and dementia; what you do, and how you do it, enabling wonderful new heart and soul connections.

ytpQhl7cAUA
(2014)

[Hughe]

I care for a Dementia patient. By the end of this year it will be five years. She worked in a health industry as a certified nurse over 30 years and after three years of her retirement, she developed no-point-of-return Dementia at the age of 58. Her older sisters only asked for money contrary to their hear-breaking gestures. (What a pathetic way of living!) I send her to a daycare center run by Catholic Church from Monday to Saturday, she spend 8 hours a day and the center delivers to carer. I stop counting number of visitation to hospitals due to various illness.

Every three month I go to the hospital and the doctor gives prescription for buying drugs. And each hospital visitation makes me rage and hopeless. Whenever I ask for an alternative Dementia treatment, the doctor said "Unfortunately, we don't have treatment that reverse damaged brain cells. Sorry Sir."

The condition of permanent care center is a soul torturing place. The care center operates it for maximum profit so they only keep minimal staff, five to ten patients per a nurse for 24 hours. She is early 60s and healthy, active, and playful. If I send her to a permanent care center, I know that they will keep her living as long as they can while torturing her body, soul, and emotion silently, i.e locked in the room, tied on bed's frame, beating and verbal abuse to relive their stress from time to time.

Once in a while the media reports disturbing accident of a permanent care center, the condition of old people's living. 80 to 90 years elders scream to be killed to the reporters but their voices ignored because of the public sick care system plus religious, traditional belief system about conscious death by citizen's own choice.

In developed countries the life extension, support technology have advanced a lot. If early 50s or 60s Dementia patient goes to the slaughter house, the house manager either one individual or corporation will have collect $1,500 to $2,000 per month over 30 years easily. It's emerging business that's based on death and sorrow of the collective. Seventy percent of the usage fee of the slaughter house is covered by National Sick Care System.
In South Korea Dementia patient's age dropped to early 40s. Imagine their 60-70 years of parents send the old kid to the slaughter house because of economical burden in most cases. 40-50 years old children who send their mother or father to the slaughter house, which is typical scenario.

Dementia patient's carer moves on. But, the explosion rate of Dementia which no freaking research report or discovery of the cause of cancer put the hopeless, fearful physic pain over fifty million Koreans. I was shocked after learning that every two to three household has one Dementia patient.
Few people that are close to me started to suggest the final departure with her, which is the last option if the alternative/pilot treatment of Dementia would not able to completely stop the drain cell destruction.

I think Dementia is Pandemic caused by so corrupted, synthetic civilization. Dementia industry will grow big like the cancer industry has done, still doing it blatantly.

[Hughe]

There is hope but...

https://www.sciencealert.com/a-man-who-lives-without-90-of-his-brain-is-challenging-our-understanding-of-consciousness


Meet The Man Who Lives Normally With Damage to 90% of His Brain
FIONA MACDONALD
13 JUL 2016

A French man who lives a relatively normal, healthy life - despite damaging 90 percent of his brain - is causing scientists to rethink what it is from a biological perspective that makes us conscious.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-7240471/Father-60-living-just-HALF-brain-despite-having-normal-life.html


Doctors are stunned to discover that 60-year-old ex-soldier has lived all his life 'with only HALF a brain'

The unnamed man from Russia wasn't aware of the 'black hole' in his brain
The left hemisphere is missing, which is responsible for logic such as maths
But doctors said all the functions had been taken on by the right side
It's likely the defect happened during pregnancy and was not spotted in scans

[Bill Ryan]

:bump: :bump: :bump:

[Anka]

I don't know if my story fits into the thread, but I thank everyone for sharing.:heart:

I worked as a volunteer and then as a caregiver with medical training for people with disabilities, end-stage cancer and Alzheimer's.
My penultimate professional task in 2013 was for a 96-year-old woman with stage 5 Alzheimer's.
She was a person with a very interesting professional background, and sometimes, while playing a few children's games, she would stop and tell me quite lucidly and with a lot of details about her life, fascinating stories from the Second World War. I am almost convinced that some of the stories, the family itself did not know, so they remained in my possession.:heart:

I had an extremely fixed 24-hour care program and its development had to go on without interruption, so I slept in the room next to the patient's room. The nights were very, very heavy, because the patient did not sleep more than two hours at night.
So at night, because the darkness frightened her enormously (although, it was a night light on in her room), not knowing "who she is" / "Where she is and what she is doing there", she normally started looking on someone in the house.
Of course, I managed to fall asleep only halfway (sometimes only half a minute or maximum 8 min) I heard her and greeted her saying : "Hi Oma!" with the warmest voice and hug possible and she was amazed who I was, sometimes she asked me if I was her daughter and I, approved just to create a comfort.:flower:
But the nights were very interesting, sometimes I read, and in her confusion, she just closed her eyes but did not fall asleep.
In the morning it was a whole protocol with a complete bathroom, hygiene and cleanliness, but most of all I liked to style her hair, put colorful scarves made of bows and cook her plates with design, everything cut in half, and she doesn't eat anything until I didn't put anything on my plate to eat next to her.
It was a happy day every day, we had a lot of things to do, to sit on the terrace in the sun to talk, to walk a lot (she was sitting in the handicap cart), to go up the 9 steps and go down, to play, to draw, to iron clothes, to vacuum on the floor, she was very "active" and interested in everything I had to do.:sun:
I found a big notebook of old cake recipes and I challenge her with questions to see if she remembers, sometimes she shows me photos in which she knew what it was about.
During the day I had to run (omit the colors at the traffic lights, run in front of cars and others at the cashier in the store) for 15 minutes shopping, cycling and coming back.
I had a mechanical watch and a large (A 4) paper that I left in her hand, and which I had printed "Oma waits 15 minutes.. (and I wrote the time on paper, the time I return)" she was extremely happy to look at watch, it was a game she already knew, and she always waited for me happy and good, because I always arrived at the time written on paper, she trusted the paper.
Many times she didn't know who I was but she was happy to see what I bought. Many times I had to answer a series of questions that had a serious tone (so I had to tell the truth): "Am I the owner of this house? Is my daughter married?" And I had a lot to tell every time :flower:

On the door of my room it was written on a piece of paper:
"Oma, Anca is sleeping, please don't bother her", but my door was always open ... I was really worried about this being, it is very tragic to see a man in such a state, especially at the end of life when the wisest conclusions emerge (I learned some):flower:

Her family did not want to take her to an asylum and I can understand very well why, there, even in the "luxury" ones, the patients were treated with strong sleeping pills and more soothing substances, which is quite unnatural for a rather naturally troubled mind.
I had the opportunity to take care of "old children" (as I used to call them) because small children, I never had the happy opportunity to experience it, so I thought that the "maternal" experience must be summarized in something and quite by chance I had the opportunity.

I worked with this old woman for 28 days, but I managed to sleep mostly only in sequences of 6-8 minutes at night. Before this patient, I had 18 days without sleep, with a patient of 192 kg in terminal cancer (died in my arms).
I had arrived in a very short time, not to care when it is night or day, just my tasks and care for the patient, were very intense experiences for some human beings at the end of the road in a way I can not to forget it.

But the caregivers' experience is very, very intense, sometimes I had a lot to learn from many tears and compassion, sometimes I stumbled upon an "imaginary bed" somewhere, going between two worlds (due to sleep deprivation), talking about rational things along with reason but without me, I was quite tired, my body could barely help me, I managed to lose almost 16 kg, I was no longer at all "me", and I had to give up everything, because it was too much responsibility and certainly I not managed to complete it, at least not without a little sleep.

I am sorry for all the patients who do not deserve this disease and especially for those who suffer next to them, both sides really need compassion and dedication!:heart:

Love,
Anca

[greybeard]

My Ex wife and I had a Residential Home for the Elderly for twelve years.
She is a nurse.
Most of the residents were psychogeriatric -- confused --Alzheimers.
It was rewarding but extremely difficult.

Not going into detail but come the full moon some residents were greatly affected.
They became like children wanting to go go home to their mothers.
Very hard to talk them into a calm state.
We were not allowed to lock the front door and the nightmare was that a resident would go walk about.
This happened twice and we had to get the Police out -- thankful they were found safe and well.

With the stress and the Home having to close due to the Government preferring to fund non private sector homes.
Thousands of good homes in UK had to close, so it ruined our marriage.
So care in the community was the new norm.
Residents who has 24 hour care in a safe caring environment which was no longer available had to stay home with minimum professional care and stressed out relative doing their best.
My heart goes out to them.

Chris

[Bill Ryan]

:bump::bump::bump:

[Mike]

https://link.medium.com/fctAymwBwrb

I think this is a pretty good story. It's called "What Do You Do When A Dying Man Offers You His Shorts?" And I think it fits in nicely with this thread.

A dying man did indeed offer me his shorts, and I wrote about it in this story. But it's also about the elderly, the sick, and caring for the elderly and sick.

[TomKat]

20mg of LITHUM OROTATE daily is supposed to cure Alzheimer's.

[RunningDeer]

https://i.imgur.com/dodojlF.jpg




He's over 80 years old and insists on holding his wife's hand. And when asked why his wife was absent-minded, he replied, "Because she has Alzheimer's."

“Will your wife worry if you let her down, leave her, or just get tired?”

And he replied, "She doesn't remember. She doesn't know who I am anymore. She hasn't recognized me for a couple of years."

Surprised, I said to him, "And yet you walk the path every day, even though she doesn't recognize you.”

The man smiled and said, ”She doesn't know who I am, but I know who she is. The love of my life.”

♡

[Hughe]

amBKYsuuWF4

Lecture at a Buddhist temple by a Korean medical doctor who has Japan and American license too.
At the end of the lecture he showed two cases that he cured Dementia patient.

Source: https://cafe.naver.com/brkd/6189

If you need to keep a vegetarian diet for religious reasons

1. Avoid both flour and sugar foods.
2. Avoid fried foods.
3. Avoid foods and processed foods that contain liquid fructose as well as sugar.
4. Absolutely avoid omega-6 vegetable oils.
5. Consume dairy products such as milk, butter, and cheese that are not related to animal life.
6. Eggs should also be consumed as much as possible
7. Be sure to take the following nutrients as supplements that you can't eat enough with vegetarian diet
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B and Minerals
Vitamin A (retinol)
If it is for preventive purpose, 5000 units per day is enough.
Vitamin D3 / K2
Coenzyme Q10
Omega 3
Taurine
Coconut / MCT Oil

Prevention, Treatment if carnivorous

1. Quit drinking and smoking
2. Avoid flour, sugar, processed foods completely.
3. Absolutely avoid Omega-6 vegetable.
4. Intake Omega 3
5. Eat a lot of mainly eggs, fish and meat
6. Supplements for preventing dementia, maintaining health
Omega 3
Vitamin D3 / K2
Coenzyme Q10
Comprehensive Vitamins
Coconut oil or MCT Oil

[Bill Ryan]

:bump::bump::bump:





:heart:

[norman]

Also keep in mind that the current Alzheimer's spike runs parallel with the current statin consumption spike.

Who declares what a healthy cholesterol level is anyway ? That wouldn't be the same people who are trying to kill us would it ?

A fat starved brain is obviously going to start going down hill sooner or later.

A salt starved body is obviously going to start having an electrical communications problem sooner or later.

Both together, god help us.

[RunningDeer]

There’s some people who don’t think diet has to do with Alzheimer’s. They’re crazy. Sugar was incredible at causing cognitive dysfunction within two weeks. This is the cause of Alzheimer’s.
~ Dr Richard Johnson, board-certified physician and medical researcher
#1 Cause Of Alzheimer’s & Dementia (AVOID THIS) | Dr Richard Johnson



@ThePrimal.Podcast (https://www.youtube.com/@ThePrimal.Podcast/videos)
January 19, 2025
428K subscribers

Alzheimer’s is now being called “type 3 diabetes” for its link to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and obesity.

A new hypothesis suggests another potential mechanism at play, one involving fructose. Today, fructose is consumed mainly in highly concentrated forms such as fruit juice, dried fruit, and high fructose corn syrup in soda and ultra-processed foods. According to metabolic health and Alzheimer’s scientists, this abundance of fructose in our modern diet may be starving our brain's memory center due to a genetic survival trait.

Rina sits down with Dr. Richard Johnson to discuss his revolutionary new hypothesis on the link between fructose consumption and Alzheimer’s disease. Rina and Dr. Johnson discuss the evolutionary mechanism behind fructose metabolism, insulin resistance, and weight gain that has completely backfired today due to its over consumption.

Dr. Richard Johnson is a professor of medicine at the University of Colorado Denver and has been a practicing physician and clinical scientist for over 25 years. He is internationally recognized for his seminal work on the role of fructose in obesity, diabetes, and now, Alzheimer’s disease.

PREVENT ALZHEIMER"S (Free Guide (https://www.theprimal.com/lab/the-true-cause-of-alzheimers-disease-dementia))

59Oje6n2JLU



Timestamps

00:00 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Oje6n2JLU&t=0s) Intro

02:27 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Oje6n2JLU&t=147s) Is Alzheimer's disease preventable?

06:14 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Oje6n2JLU&t=374s) Alzheimer's vs Dementia

11:45 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Oje6n2JLU&t=705s) Amyloid plaque is not the cause

18:04 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Oje6n2JLU&t=1084s) Fructose causes Alzheimer's disease

27:15 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Oje6n2JLU&t=1635s) Dr Johnson's study on Alzheimer's

34:12 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Oje6n2JLU&t=2052s) Human studies on Alzheimer's

42:54 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Oje6n2JLU&t=2574s) Tool: Foods that lead to Alzheimer's

47:30 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Oje6n2JLU&t=2850s) Tool: Fruit juice & Alzheimer's

50:42 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Oje6n2JLU&t=3042s) Is fibre healthy?

54:21 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Oje6n2JLU&t=3261s) Tool: Foods to eat to prevent Alzheimer's

01:06:39 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Oje6n2JLU&t=3999s) Tool: Any test for Alzheimer's?

01:09:21 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Oje6n2JLU&t=4161s) Why sugar is not banned

01:11:21 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Oje6n2JLU&t=4281s) Tool: Common signs & symptoms

01:15:40 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Oje6n2JLU&t=4540s) Find Dr Richard Johnson

01:16:38 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59Oje6n2JLU&t=4598s) Free guide to fix Alzheimer's with link