This is my first time on this site and I'm doing it in order to learn from others experiences, and to tell our story in the hope this life experience may help others.
My Father in-law Bill (aged 76) has suffered from depression for the last 4 years since his wife sadly died from demensia. From being an organised and active man this loss would lead to him sitting in a dark living room in the same chair, just staring at the telly or the picture of his wife that sat on top of it. Come 6pm he would start on the Volka and Tonic until bedtime (regularly wetting the bed or not reaching the toilet). Over the last year or so we have seen further loss of energy and within the last 6 months my wife and I noticed he was starting to forget things and repeat himself.
It has been very difficult for my wife (the only child) as Bill is a very stuborn man but still we have kept making regular visits to see him.
Six weeks ago the alarm bells starting ringing in our minds when we couldnt get through to him on the phone. We called the GP who sped round, saw Bill in a very confused state and emmediately placed him in hospital. Now Bill lives in Chester with no family round him. My wife and I live in London (3+ hrs away on the train).
To cut this long long story short placing Bill in hospital for over two weeks seemed to have done more harm than good as he caught additional infections and was fitted with a cathater that he didnt need. He's now at a rest bite home and visiting hospital where they will be carrying out further tests. His short term memory is very poor although he knows who everyone is, he can be non responsive one day and very communicative the next. He seems very dehydrated and isnt eating much. He is also very tired and sleeping at the wrong times of the day
My wife has had first hand experience with her mothers demensia and says that these are all the classic symptoms.
I feel like I'm treading water at the moment. I feel helpless as if I'm not doing enough to help both him and my wife, and we're both so tired. After 4 weeks we still havent had a full assessment and I feel I cant plan the next step/s regarding where he will live etc until we have these results.
I'm rambling I'll stop now... but I'm pleased I got it out. Thank you for reading
My Father in-law Bill (aged 76) has suffered from depression for the last 4 years since his wife sadly died from demensia. From being an organised and active man this loss would lead to him sitting in a dark living room in the same chair, just staring at the telly or the picture of his wife that sat on top of it. Come 6pm he would start on the Volka and Tonic until bedtime (regularly wetting the bed or not reaching the toilet). Over the last year or so we have seen further loss of energy and within the last 6 months my wife and I noticed he was starting to forget things and repeat himself.
It has been very difficult for my wife (the only child) as Bill is a very stuborn man but still we have kept making regular visits to see him.
Six weeks ago the alarm bells starting ringing in our minds when we couldnt get through to him on the phone. We called the GP who sped round, saw Bill in a very confused state and emmediately placed him in hospital. Now Bill lives in Chester with no family round him. My wife and I live in London (3+ hrs away on the train).
To cut this long long story short placing Bill in hospital for over two weeks seemed to have done more harm than good as he caught additional infections and was fitted with a cathater that he didnt need. He's now at a rest bite home and visiting hospital where they will be carrying out further tests. His short term memory is very poor although he knows who everyone is, he can be non responsive one day and very communicative the next. He seems very dehydrated and isnt eating much. He is also very tired and sleeping at the wrong times of the day
My wife has had first hand experience with her mothers demensia and says that these are all the classic symptoms.
I feel like I'm treading water at the moment. I feel helpless as if I'm not doing enough to help both him and my wife, and we're both so tired. After 4 weeks we still havent had a full assessment and I feel I cant plan the next step/s regarding where he will live etc until we have these results.
I'm rambling I'll stop now... but I'm pleased I got it out. Thank you for reading