Advice Please

[domb]

Hi Everyone,

Just recently joined this site, just let me say what a courageous lot you are. I have found it a big help since my brother has been diagnosed with AD to know that there is a 'virtual ear' to help vent off when needed.

I need a little advice on what the next step for my brother will be. He goes to see a specialist this week to confirm the severity of his AD. What will his medication likely to be? Will it give an initial improvement to his present condition? He appears to be deterioating rapidly, he got lost last Friday for 5 hours, we were worried sick, especially when it turned out he had ended up in the City Centre (Glasgow) and had to walk back home exhausted.

I know there is no miracle cure, but is there anything that he will be given to alleviate the symptoms or at least slow them down? Is it best to try and stimulate his brain ( chess, reading etc) or let him be? I know this may seem very basic stuff but to be honest when my mum had AD (70's and 80's), it seemed to me that the 'treatment' was watch and wait. It seems so utterly helpless watching someone 'shrink' from you without being able to throw a lifeline.

Sorry a bit down today..


Dom

 

[dmc]

hi dom

my mum was diagnosed in february this year, and has been in hospital twice since
i can only go by her experiences, in her case she's on quite a lot of meds which since february has been altered quite a few times, untill they've got the correct dosage, it seems things can get worse before it gets better, there are meds out there that can alleviate the symtoms but sometimes the side effects are worse than the actual dementia.
saying that though my mum nows seems to be quite stable is able to walk unaided, dress herself etc, all of which she couldnt do in march, before they altered the doses of med.
it is a long process and it is a bit hit and miss i think but once they get it right it does seem to help.
in my mothers case her attention span isnt very long and she gets fed up rather quickly, so trying to do things with her like reading or chess wouldnt last very long but i would say give it a go it wouldnt hurt to try.
sorry i cant be of more help to you, but the best of luck with your brother, im sure you'll get lots more advice soon,
go and have a look in the tea room at the jokes they always cheer me up when im feeling down.
best wishes x

 

[rummy]

Hi dom,
Everyones experiences are different and the medication will help some and not others. My Mom was put on Aricept two years ago and it did improve her condition and slowed the progress. Then she was put on Namenda for more advanced AD. The doctor now says if she were to go off the medication she would drop like a rock and once that happens, there is no coming back up. He also stressed the importance of social interaction in the form of adult day care and said that it would help keep her out of a nursing home as much as a year. It has been nearly impossible to get her to go to one but we have finally gotten her into a program that meets once a week. Hosnestly it isn't enough but better than nothing.
I hope you find as much caring and support on TP as I have. It is my only source of people that know exactly how I feel !!
Take care,
Debbie

 

[Jool]

Hi dom

I haven't long been on this site, but the information I have read here is invaluable. My father was put on Aricept about a year ago to slow down the progression of the disease but it did not seem to have any beneficial effects, the dose was then increased, but side effects developed and it was discontinued. However he does get help from the CPN who has arranged respite care from time to time. A sitter comes one afternoon a week, which enables my mam to go into town or see friends and not have to worry about leaving dad. The CPN has now arranged for him to attend a day centre one day a week. Dad is adamant he is not going to go and play bingo!! However he is looking forward to the tea, coffee, and lunch etc.

Try to get as much information from the consultant as possible and he should refer you to a CPN.

best wishes

Jools

 

[mojofilter]

Due to the advanced nature of my mother's condition the only drug that the doctor recommended was Ebixa ..

After consulting my mother's GP we decided not to use the drug because it can effect the patients heart and liver, both of which my mother as problems with.

So I just have to put up with her hiding frozen chickens in her bed (ah, what a great Christmas we had last year )

Stay safe,

Paul

 

[Norman]

Hi Domb
Welcome to TP,you will find lots of support and advice here.
As already said every case is different but the following fact sheet may be some help to you
http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/After_diagnosis/Treatments/info_drugs.htm.
Norman

 

[Nutty Nan]

Dear Dom,
Welcome! You are in good company here: all in more or less the same boat.

Apart from tons of first-hand information on this site and being able to ask any question that bugs you, I've found the following book full of interesting and useful morsels:
"Learning to Speak Alzheimers" by Joanne Koenig-Coste (available from the 'YOU' bookshop / Amazon / probably ebay, too) has a down-to-earth and practical approach which suited me well. It helped me to accept that life as I had known it was a thing of the past, and that I had to learn to see things through the eyes of someone who is unable to understand the world around him and the people in it.

It is a steep learning curve, you find yourself re-inventing routines and approaches on an almost daily basis, but there are many rewarding moments as long as you manage to meet your loved one at their 'current' level.

Very best wishes!