Good afternoon all,
I hope this message finds you all well.
I wanted to drop a quick message on this board to hopefully gain some information about what my father in law is going through, how we can help him, and what is available to him to hopefully slow down what is currently happening.
Firstly a little detail. My father in law is 82 years old, and is from a large family. We have known for a little while (2-3 years) that his memory has not been as good as it's always been. Has progressively been getting more and more forgetful, to the point where it is very very frustrating to him and his wife. We are constantly telling ourselves to try and understand, and give him the respect he deserves, but think his wife finds its the worst, as she is with him all the time. He was officially diagnosed with early signs of Alzheimer's at the end of last year/start of this year, and suggested he should start medication ASAP to slow down this process. The flip side is he is already on a number of medications (as a lot of men his age are), and due to his other health issues, they have said he is not a viable candidate for Alzheimer's medication. I believe this is mainly due to the fact he has LOW blood pressure, and also has a spray for a Angina. He has only ever used the Angina spray once in the 8-10 years he has had it. I know he is also on medication for his water works, and possibly some more. I can obtain a list of what else he is on, if it helps any of you to provide me with some more details.
The questions I have are mainly surrounding medications, and if something should be tried or offered to him. Since the diagnosis, his decline has been very rapid, and difficult for all involved. So in about 10 months, we've gone from being a bit forgetful, to yesterday when he forgot how to use a house phone to make a telephone call. We are fully aware of the slippery slope he is on, and how quickly this decline could be, but if there is anything that can be done to slow it down a bit, then surely it should be tried. This is an illness/disease that I know very little about, so am asking for information as to conversations we should be having with his GP, or others? What could be available to us? Please could you guys help steer us as to who and what we should be asking for. I believe that currently they are saying nothing is available to him, due to the heart and other health problems he has. Surely there must be something out there?
I look forward to any help or assistance you can give.
Thanks
Paul
I hope this message finds you all well.
I wanted to drop a quick message on this board to hopefully gain some information about what my father in law is going through, how we can help him, and what is available to him to hopefully slow down what is currently happening.
Firstly a little detail. My father in law is 82 years old, and is from a large family. We have known for a little while (2-3 years) that his memory has not been as good as it's always been. Has progressively been getting more and more forgetful, to the point where it is very very frustrating to him and his wife. We are constantly telling ourselves to try and understand, and give him the respect he deserves, but think his wife finds its the worst, as she is with him all the time. He was officially diagnosed with early signs of Alzheimer's at the end of last year/start of this year, and suggested he should start medication ASAP to slow down this process. The flip side is he is already on a number of medications (as a lot of men his age are), and due to his other health issues, they have said he is not a viable candidate for Alzheimer's medication. I believe this is mainly due to the fact he has LOW blood pressure, and also has a spray for a Angina. He has only ever used the Angina spray once in the 8-10 years he has had it. I know he is also on medication for his water works, and possibly some more. I can obtain a list of what else he is on, if it helps any of you to provide me with some more details.
The questions I have are mainly surrounding medications, and if something should be tried or offered to him. Since the diagnosis, his decline has been very rapid, and difficult for all involved. So in about 10 months, we've gone from being a bit forgetful, to yesterday when he forgot how to use a house phone to make a telephone call. We are fully aware of the slippery slope he is on, and how quickly this decline could be, but if there is anything that can be done to slow it down a bit, then surely it should be tried. This is an illness/disease that I know very little about, so am asking for information as to conversations we should be having with his GP, or others? What could be available to us? Please could you guys help steer us as to who and what we should be asking for. I believe that currently they are saying nothing is available to him, due to the heart and other health problems he has. Surely there must be something out there?
I look forward to any help or assistance you can give.
Thanks
Paul