Dementia

Did anyone watch that Louis Theroux documentary on Dementia last night?

I love his programmes, he is a genius at getting people to talk openly and freely. But what the programme highlighted for me was how fit and healthy you can be while at the same time having dementia, and the pain it causes your loves ones.

There was a 49 year old woman in the early stages of dementia who made light of her condition, but I really felt for her, and her lovely husband.

Does anyone here have experience of dementia?

Every day! As you get older three things happen. The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two....

Once you've accumulated sufficient knowledge to get by, you're too old to remember it.

Humourously Bolton Hater does.

Seriously my father suffered from dementia although physically he was very healthy. Even at the age of 91 he was on no medication. It's a very distressing process watching someone deteriorate with dementia. It is also normal to only realise that they are suffering after some time because you make excuses for them as they are getting old.

There were some things that were amusing in hindsight but it is like watching someone revert agewise. In the worst cases the sufferers cannot even talk and are incontinent. Fortunately my father died before his condition got that bad but when he was living on his own he nearly starved because he forgot to eat. Luckily we got him into a decent nursing home where he was well looked after in his final years.

My wife's uncle has it. His wife died about 5 years ago, (he's 77), and he just potters about. He's always doing stupid things, and is very accident prone. So it took a little while to realise that his behaviour was actually changing. He's still living at thome, although this is likely to end soon. He's done some odd things, like forgetting how to open the washing machine door, panicking, and forcing it open during a wash cycle, so flooding the kitchen. He has three helpers visit each day, and his daughter has to visit him every day, as he forgets to eat. (he thinks he's already done it)., which is quite common. He goes to bed, in his pyjamas, in the middle of the day. Its horrible to see someone you know so well, behave in such an erratic manner, knowing it will only get worse. There's no grace in growing old.

My gran had dementia later in her life and came to live with us when I was a teenager. We could sit round the table for tea and she'd ask the same question at least 10 times, we quickly realised the best way to deal with it was to laugh. I think the laughter is what got my Mum through it.

Didn't Mr Magoo have Alzheimers ?

No but my Mother has it, its got to be one of the worst things to happen to anyone, she is only in her 60s.

Bloody hell it must be contagious! My grandfather got it in his nineties and ended up in a nursing home. At the end he was just curled up like a baby in the foetal position as if he was going back to when he was born.

I wonder if it's genetic ?

Only in the Lancashire area

We're all doomed. The only certain thing in life is death.

don't forget the taxes

I don't bother. If the taxman comes knocking I plan to feign Alzheimers! I reckon it could be a brilliant defence.

Speaking of caring for people with an illness, it really drives me mad when you see on things such as children in need that children are having to care for their parents with little or no help!

How messed up is this country when we have children as young as 7 caring for their parents who struggle to do things like walking.

My great gran lived independently on Tong Moor Rd until she was 96 and had a bit of a rep as a local character, lugging her shopping up the street and chatting to everyone she met. When I was 17 I was going off to Scotland to Uni and called in to see her. She warned me I shouldn't go there as there'd "been a lot of trouble". After a bit of further conversation I worked out that she thought I was her brother who went to London during the General Strike so I called my grandad and my dad who came round to see what was happening. She was dignosed with dementia. I left, went to Uni and called my folks a couple of weeks later. My grandad had decided to put her in a home. She lasted 3 months before she pegged it - couldn't cope with not having her own place. But in reality, we'd already lost the person we knew.
Terrible, terrible thing dementia.

These kind of things i just don't want to think about, life is a terrible terrible thing. A swirling mess of dispair.

Bloody hell HN, if you are going to do away with yourself, can I have your car?

Trust me you wouldn't want it, it's a Corsa.

Ah, ok, in that case, don't do away with yourself.

Do you have anything of value you'd like to leave us?