Coping with the hard work

[Antony Audley]

Hi I have just joined and finding it very hard to cope with my father who is 91yrs and has alzhiemers , parkinsons , deaf , and near blind and to top that diabetic on insulin , he has been very good up to now but insists he has not had his meals or his injections when he has , plus always asking the time

any advice would be very gratefull

 

[Eleonora]

Hello Anthony. I am so glad that you have found this site; you’ll find a mass of useful information on the boards here.
TP members, between them, have encountered almost every possible manifestation of the illnesses you mention.

I would suggest that your first move might be to head straight for the, “I care for someone with Dementia.” section of the Forum.
There, you’ll find a range of topics seeking advice on the full range of Alzheimer’s/dementia symptoms. Of course, there are always new things that will concern carers, but they usually manage to come up with some helpful suggestions; and it seems to help us all to discuss our anxiety with other people in a similar situation.

The two symptoms you mention are not untypical for someone suffering from Alzheimer’s. My husband, who is eighty eight, constantly asks me what day it is today. He must have asked me twenty times today.

Your father you say is deaf and nearly blind; so he has no way to discover what time it is, except by asking someone.
I am afraid that I can only suggest that you set a timer to remind you to tell him the time every half hour. At least it would avoid the irritation of constant requests for information if you can get the info. in first

I am sure others will have experience of the sufferer believing they have not been fed, or received some other service they feel they merit.

Anyway - please keep posting, and the members will usually be able to help, or at least sympathise.

 

[Antony Audley]

Thank you for the advise , this morning even worst wont even let me go near him too take blood sugars or clean him up after a accident in bed and has been hearing voices for the last 1.30 hrs just talking to himself as if on the phone so I have called the doctor out
I will keep posting
thanks

Hello Anthony. I am so glad that you have found this site; you’ll find a mass of useful information on the boards here.
TP members, between them, have encountered almost every possible manifestation of the illnesses you mention.

I would suggest that your first move might be to head straight for the, “I care for someone with Dementia.” section of the Forum.
There, you’ll find a range of topics seeking advice on the full range of Alzheimer’s/dementia symptoms. Of course, there are always new things that will concern carers, but they usually manage to come up with some helpful suggestions; and it seems to help us all to discuss our anxiety with other people in a similar situation.

The two symptoms you mention are not untypical for someone suffering from Alzheimer’s. My husband, who is eighty eight, constantly asks me what day it is today. He must have asked me twenty times today.

Your father you say is deaf and nearly blind; so he has no way to discover what time it is, except by asking someone.
I am afraid that I can only suggest that you set a timer to remind you to tell him the time every half hour. At least it would avoid the irritation of constant requests for information if you can get the info. in first

I am sure others will have experience of the sufferer believing they have not been fed, or received some other service they feel they merit.

Anyway - please keep posting, and the members will usually be able to help, or at least sympathise.

 

[Eleonora]

Hello again Anthony - I know how distressing your father's illness must be for you; but you have done the sensible thing, and called in your GP.
I kept you and your father in my mind last night; picturing what it would be like to be your father, who's mind has now failed him and, because he is deaf and nearly blind, he can do nothing but sit, prey to the fantasies brought on by his dementia. Poor old chap - he must be terrified.
And you have a heavy burden - I'm hoping that the GP will refer him to a specialist in the care of patients with multiple disabilities.

I wonder if your father has been able to learn a little Braille? I have absolutely no experience with blindness, but I'm pretty sure that it is possible to obtain a Braille watch, which might reassure him about the time. But I expect his failing eyesight has only developed recently - so that idea is not a lot of help.

Please let us know how your day went.

Eleonora