My Dad was dianosed with AD about a year ago. He's had steadily increasing memory problems, but things came to a head when the confusion set in. At first this was after he'd sleep in his armchair in the evening, he'd wake up very disoriented about what day and time it was and whether there'd been "people in the house". Then we had a couple of incidents where he'd be very confused in the evening - asking where his "grandson" was (I am his only child and have no children). Either that or shouting matches about what day/time it was and demands that he "have his tablets". He'd insist "no, you're wrong, you're using American time".
He started on Aricept last March, and things improved a lot.
Just recently, though, the old pattern of sleeping and waking up confused has begun again. I know I should have been expecting this but...
What troubles me is how awful I felt last time - I used to start getting this feeling of sick dread in the afternoon and start thinking "what are we going to get tonight?". Also I get terribly upset because it's poor Mum who gets the sharp end of things.
Also we have noticed over the passing months that he's becoming more aggressive - he loses his temper at the least little thing, particularly when he can't get his own way or gets contradicted at all. Just goes into "I'm right everyone else is wrong" mode (which he's always tended to do in the past, but in a more reasoning way). He's also taken to swearing an awful lot, which was previously absolutely unknown. We also had some very difficult months with a paranoia problem (the man next door was evil, was going out at night and damaging our property, drilling holes in the wall to steal our heat and had listening devices on the wall). Thankfuly Dad had a checkup with our GP at that time and he thinks a health visitor reported this behavior (it was mum and me really!). The GP gave Dad a talking to about his being ill, judgement affected etc. That seemed to help - at least we don;t get daily rants about the neighbour or dragged out to inspect the fresh "damage" to the front of the house!
I am now in dread of the next phase where we go back to the evening confusions, talking to non-existant people, trying to climb through the front window to go to the toilet, shouting matches that it is the next day and time for tablets etc.
I don't think I could stand going through that again, or watching poor Mum go through it either. I have suffered from depression for many years and I think I could be driven to a nervous breakdown.
Can anyone offer any words of advice?
Sorry to pour my troubles out like this...
He started on Aricept last March, and things improved a lot.
Just recently, though, the old pattern of sleeping and waking up confused has begun again. I know I should have been expecting this but...
What troubles me is how awful I felt last time - I used to start getting this feeling of sick dread in the afternoon and start thinking "what are we going to get tonight?". Also I get terribly upset because it's poor Mum who gets the sharp end of things.
Also we have noticed over the passing months that he's becoming more aggressive - he loses his temper at the least little thing, particularly when he can't get his own way or gets contradicted at all. Just goes into "I'm right everyone else is wrong" mode (which he's always tended to do in the past, but in a more reasoning way). He's also taken to swearing an awful lot, which was previously absolutely unknown. We also had some very difficult months with a paranoia problem (the man next door was evil, was going out at night and damaging our property, drilling holes in the wall to steal our heat and had listening devices on the wall). Thankfuly Dad had a checkup with our GP at that time and he thinks a health visitor reported this behavior (it was mum and me really!). The GP gave Dad a talking to about his being ill, judgement affected etc. That seemed to help - at least we don;t get daily rants about the neighbour or dragged out to inspect the fresh "damage" to the front of the house!
I am now in dread of the next phase where we go back to the evening confusions, talking to non-existant people, trying to climb through the front window to go to the toilet, shouting matches that it is the next day and time for tablets etc.
I don't think I could stand going through that again, or watching poor Mum go through it either. I have suffered from depression for many years and I think I could be driven to a nervous breakdown.
Can anyone offer any words of advice?
Sorry to pour my troubles out like this...