Newly diagnoised - HELP

Jill K

Registered User
May 13, 2004
1
0
LEICESTER - LECIESTERSHIRE
Hi
My name is Jill. I am asian. I have recently been diagonised with alzheimers. I live in the midlands area. I am 48 yrs. of age. As positive as i am i am finding this hard to deal. The hardest thing is that i am scared of loosing control of my life. I am very independent. I guess i am lucky that both my children are grown up and have got a caring husband although they do not seem to understand how difficult things are for me. They either think this is short term problem or a phase i am going through. They do not realise the constant demands they are making on me and i cannot cope with things as i used to. I have just recently been made redundant from my work. My husabnd is retired but i need to work. I have always thrived on stress and i have often been told that i am a workholic. I need to find another job to keep me sane. I worked as a Development Officer for a voluntary organisation. I loved my job. I don't know if could find employment knowing that i have now got alzheimers. Who wants to employ a person with memory problems? A
Recently I read an article in the Dailymail regards to a new treatment which reverses the process of alzheimers. I cannot find the paper but i would appriciate if some has some more info on this article.

Jill K
 

Brucie

Registered User
Jan 31, 2004
12,413
0
near London
Hello Jill

Most of the people who post to the forum are carers. I am really pleased that you have made contact.

Your age is not that different from that of my wife when her symptoms started, so anything you contribute to the forum will be especially appreciated by me.

Support from your family is very important, so they need to understand firstly your feelings and anxieties. If you are unable to make them understand that this is not a short-term thing, then why not show them some of the posts on TalkingPoint?

They could themselves register and post questions. They will learn so much that way, and make all of your lives more easy.

Regarding employment, is there a local Alzheimer's Society branch you could ask? Clearly they may need help anyway, but doubly would benefit from having you there. I'd guess they would have no problem with somebody with memory problems ;-)

From my own perspective, I always discount totally anything written about Alzheimer's in the tabloid [or pretty much any other] press. That doesn't stop me checking these things out however, and the Society will certainly be able to comment on the article in question.

Do keep in touch with this forum.

Regards
 
B

Betty

Guest
Hello Jill.

I am new to this chat room too. I do not have alzheimers myself but my father has recently been diagnosed. after getting over the initial shock I have, probabaly like most people, started to do daily research on what support is available.

The whole family is going to have a meeting with a development worker at the alzheimers society next week to ask a billion questions. the discussions I have had on the phone with them have been very useful ,particulary in supporting me to be persistant and assertive with the professional world on the speed and quality of services. But the most importamnt thing is to involve the family in what they can do to support. it also helps them to hear it from somebody else. Is this an option for you?

Thought I would mention that I am in a mixed race relationship. My partner is asian. sometimes a chat with a bit of insight helps.

Regards

Betty
 

PeterG

Registered User
Oct 17, 2003
25
0
Hertfordshire, UK
Hi Jill, as well as all the other information posted here, just a thought as you do not mention it, have you been prescribed any medication? Aricept is the normal first line of defence for younger people with a recent diagnosis.
I know it has helped Jen & after 3 years of taking it, it's still alleviating some of the symptoms.
Another drug I heard of but don't know too much about, is called Ebixa.
Maybe your GP could investigate for you.
There is no "cure" as such but there is always hope of new treatments - maybe the new stem cell research projects will eventually find something for us & our loved ones.
As far as the Daily Mail is concerned, it seemed to me they had a new "cure" each month recently. latest wonder drug was lithium they said, but this is mostly either complete nonsense or something taken out of context from research papers lodged elsewhere.
Very best wishes,