Does the person your caring for become aggressive at times and when I use a threat to have to tell someone for my dad to back away he then stops and says oh no your alright ,in his normal tone ,you know I won't hurt you .or for instance when my sister has appeared during the night during a disagreement with me he then Changes his tone again and when she tells him exactly what I have been trying to tell him he listens. I mean what is that all about.?he knows what not to do or behave when other daughters are visiting .
Dad has Dimentia
- Thread starter Help!
- Start date
It is. And then on the other hand very grateful and thanking me ,upsetting when he looks bewildered as he has no idea of what time of day it is and when it gets dark and thinks it is bedtime .last night he was up about 6 times and thinks when he's awake it's time to get up and for me to be .but have to say last night was the ist time to be up so many times in a while and I hope it's not the new drug he's on unsettling him as the other one gave him nightmares and when I stopped them so did the nightmares and back to just waking normal a couple of times so I hope this new drug isn't the cause. Must be awful for him not knowing what time of day it is.
Oh my lovely, I can tell myMum things til I’m blue in the face but if my OH or daughter tell her then that’s accepted & not. Questioned!
Frustrating & annoying as it is that is the way it’s going to be!
by altering your acceptance of aggressive behaviour can be helpful, as can talking very softly & very calmly. Extremely difficult when you are emotional / upset.
The getting up in the middle of the night, oh my lovely I could get Dad back into another bed & tuck him in & give him a cuddle.
I found that he didn’t recognise where he was. Covering mirrors helps as does a strict routine at bedtime. Making sure a snack is had before bed each night, & a sealed pack of biscuits available in case of middle of the night munchies. A flip bottle of water incase of thirst - no spill variety.
A timed night light in the hall helps as well, night light on = bedtime. I also had classic fm on for Dad at bedtime & found the music soothed. The absolute quietness didn’t help Dads dementia.
Maybe have a flask of hot water by your bed each night then if he wakes & wanders a small cup of instant Horlicks might trigger night time bed routines.
hope this helps a bit.
sadly eventually dementia takes a course that we all struggle with
take care
Xx
Ah thankyou. I never have thought of putting music on but I will try that for him and buiscuits as he does love to nibble most of the day. I think aswell I just don't want to face the truth and everytime I see a little bit of my old dad back I keep thinking maybe cos he's tired he's more confused today but really I do know. And yes the Horlicks too ,I will try all these. And hopefully I will be more patient .it's hard aswell because he's lost a bit of hearing so when trying to talk calm of a night I have to end up shouting it which to him can also feel like I'm having a go at him. But I will try all these things and pray makes him calmer. Thankyou.
I feel the drugs have made my dad worse and I would never know where he would be now without them .I wished I kept him off the new lot as before he was back to his old self I was reluctant to start again and wished I hadn't..all any drugs have done is make him tired and now with these new ones less able can't focus none of them improve memory they do more harm than good ,my dad was able to get about up down stairs but no more .if all they do is make them tired and side effects ..whats the point .I think he would still be walking .
Hello @Help!
If you feel the drugs are not helping your dad but even having a bad effect i=on him please tell his doctor.
These drugs are very powerful and don`t agree with everyone. They didn`t agree with my husband and so they were stopped.
Your dad`s doctor will know if they are right for him or not so please do not be afraid to ask.
If you feel the drugs are not helping your dad but even having a bad effect i=on him please tell his doctor.
These drugs are very powerful and don`t agree with everyone. They didn`t agree with my husband and so they were stopped.
Your dad`s doctor will know if they are right for him or not so please do not be afraid to ask.
Yes you are right - there is nothing that will improve the memory in people with dementia. Donepezil (aricept) will slow down the progression in Alzheimers, but it wont stop it getting worse, it just means that it happens more slowly. It doesnt work on any other type of dementia and it doesnt even always work in Alzheimers.
There is only medication for the symptoms of things like aggression and sleeplessness, and as you have discovered, they have side-effects. It is a delicate balance between helping the symptoms and minimising the side-effects. Go back and talk to the person who prescribed the meds and explain the problems.
Im sorry
xx
You mentioned last week that your Dad's on anti-biotics for a chest infection and UTI, plus the GP thinks that he may have had a minor stroke. All these could cause increased drowsiness and reduced mobility. Maybe wait to see how he is when the infections have cleared up as the symptoms may not be connected to his dementia medication.
I thought I'd read that Donepezil controls the symptoms but doesn't actually slow down progression?
I had always been under the impression that it slowed the progression, although looking at recent studies, you could be right.
Ultimately, though, the effect will be pretty much the same - any improvement in symptoms will be offset by progression.