hi i care for my 83 year old grandfather he was diagnosed with vd last march he has been ok considering did have a few infections that knocked his mobility off he still manages even though its not as good he says hes constantly dizzy and off balance yet doctor says hes ok is this normal and also this last week his times have been awful repeating wvery 5 mins when his carer is coming but a explain its half 8 for tuck in as he doesnt go to bed till 10 but when she arrives he thinks hes never seen her and asking her were she has been and did she get lost is this us goinf in to stages and another thing he goes to a friends 2 nites a week and everytime hes there theres a different drama as in constant phonecalls that he not very well hes nearly fallen isnt sleeping yet hes not doing that the other 5 is it the way she is dealing with it as she loves him dearly so like he makes a sound and she says ih u ok oh this oh that so am begining to think hes taking the **** or am a wrong ??
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- Thread starter fergo25
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Hi fergo25
Cat27 has a good point, a UTI can cause havoc, so best to contact your granddad's GP and ask for him to be checked
my dad too says he's dizzy, yet doesn't seem to show the outward signs of being dizzy - so I think it's his word for explaining that he just doesn't feel right and is unsteady, but I may not be right
are you caring for your granddad on your own - apart from the visits to his friend?
it sounds to me as though you could do with some more support - maybe contact your Local Authority's Adult Services for an Assessment of your granddad's care needs and have some home care visits and maybe some time at a day centre
I wonder if your granddad is disorientated when he goes to the friend's house to stay, so is unsettled - might she come to your house to stay with him? that way he's on familiar ground - and either you stay in the house but DO NOT get involved in the care giving, or maybe go to stay in her house? if it's not possible for her to stay, might she come to your house in the daytime to take over, so you can go out and have some time to yourself? It's great that she is helping you both so much
best wishes
Cat27 has a good point, a UTI can cause havoc, so best to contact your granddad's GP and ask for him to be checked
my dad too says he's dizzy, yet doesn't seem to show the outward signs of being dizzy - so I think it's his word for explaining that he just doesn't feel right and is unsteady, but I may not be right
are you caring for your granddad on your own - apart from the visits to his friend?
it sounds to me as though you could do with some more support - maybe contact your Local Authority's Adult Services for an Assessment of your granddad's care needs and have some home care visits and maybe some time at a day centre
I wonder if your granddad is disorientated when he goes to the friend's house to stay, so is unsettled - might she come to your house to stay with him? that way he's on familiar ground - and either you stay in the house but DO NOT get involved in the care giving, or maybe go to stay in her house? if it's not possible for her to stay, might she come to your house in the daytime to take over, so you can go out and have some time to yourself? It's great that she is helping you both so much
best wishes
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Hello Fergo 25.
Welcome. I remember going through this a few times. I think you are doing a wonderful job looking out for him. A nurse told me that there is always a reason for the seemingly repetitive odd behaviour you just have to get to the bottom of it.
You may know that UTIs can be very difficult to shift the longer they are left without first line antibiotics given by the GP. Your grandfather needs his water testing to see if he has an infection. If this hasn't been done ensure you take some to his GP. It's simple and cheap, he will test with a dipstick and tell you straight away the result. I suspect though your doctor has done this as he has told you he can't find anything wrong. However, ALL the symptoms you are describing are consistent with an infection.
Has he missed his B12 jab? Irratic behaviour and real confusion results when the need for B12 becomes really low - for instance somebody who has had half their stomach removed and no B12 for 12 weeks or more would be going downhill in the manner you describe. You do not have to have stomach surgery to need this. The need shows up in a blood test. He may not of course need this but your doctor when asked should tell you etc.
Your doctor described his symptoms as "normal" and I feel you are not happy with this. It is not clear what health issues he has but I agree with you I wouldn't jump to ignore his problems.
For what it's worth (my opinion that is) your grandfather is presenting behaviour that you can clearly see through, I think in his better times he would not do this and importantly grandfather would be aware that he's acting peculiar and just wouldn't do it given the choice. He is ill and bless him, not intending to mess about in a way that is 'embarrasingly silly'.
A good CPN will chat with you and you may find them very helpful following GP's results.
Only trying to help but you will need courage and strength to continue to be your grandfather's guardian, in particular sussing out what ails him. It can be very challenging....
So much support here, all the best.
Welcome. I remember going through this a few times. I think you are doing a wonderful job looking out for him. A nurse told me that there is always a reason for the seemingly repetitive odd behaviour you just have to get to the bottom of it.
You may know that UTIs can be very difficult to shift the longer they are left without first line antibiotics given by the GP. Your grandfather needs his water testing to see if he has an infection. If this hasn't been done ensure you take some to his GP. It's simple and cheap, he will test with a dipstick and tell you straight away the result. I suspect though your doctor has done this as he has told you he can't find anything wrong. However, ALL the symptoms you are describing are consistent with an infection.
Has he missed his B12 jab? Irratic behaviour and real confusion results when the need for B12 becomes really low - for instance somebody who has had half their stomach removed and no B12 for 12 weeks or more would be going downhill in the manner you describe. You do not have to have stomach surgery to need this. The need shows up in a blood test. He may not of course need this but your doctor when asked should tell you etc.
Your doctor described his symptoms as "normal" and I feel you are not happy with this. It is not clear what health issues he has but I agree with you I wouldn't jump to ignore his problems.
For what it's worth (my opinion that is) your grandfather is presenting behaviour that you can clearly see through, I think in his better times he would not do this and importantly grandfather would be aware that he's acting peculiar and just wouldn't do it given the choice. He is ill and bless him, not intending to mess about in a way that is 'embarrasingly silly'.
A good CPN will chat with you and you may find them very helpful following GP's results.
Only trying to help but you will need courage and strength to continue to be your grandfather's guardian, in particular sussing out what ails him. It can be very challenging....
So much support here, all the best.
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