I've been meaning to join something like this for a while. The argument tonight is what made me finally do it.
My grandmother is suffering from some form of dementia. I believe that her conditions are aggravated by severe malnutrition and abuse as a child. It's very clear to both of my parents and I that something isn't right; However, my sister and (more importantly) both of my grandparents deny it completely. She hasn't seen a doctor and they refuse to discuss our concerns.
Apparently she's been developing whatever this is since my parents' marriage (so at least 25-ish years). My parents both noticed it long ago. My mom says it didn't really hit her what was going on until she and my grandmother began arguing a lot over things my grandmother did or didn't say. She tried to talk to my grandfather about it but he blew her off.
It's gotten a lot worse in the past 5 years. She's become very forgetful (in just about every way), easily-angered, and even violent (but in a childish manner). It's almost as if she gets more and more like an ill-tempered child as she gets older and this illness progresses. It's increasingly hard on the people who know what's going on, partially because we see what's happening and can't help and partially because the way she's started interacting with us.
I currently live with my grandparents because of a medical situation of my own that has temporarily stalled my own life. She's become rather fussy with me, and when I talk to her about it she doesn't remember what she did, gets very very angry, "conjures up" things that I did, and then tells my grandfather so they can both yell at me. This woman was around more than my own mother a lot of the time, being treated like this is rather hard on me. Seeing her like this is hard. I'm really scared about what will happen; she always says that if she comes down with a disease like dementia that she will kill herself. My paternal grandfather recently died of alzheimers and that was very painful to watch. I want to help her and find support for myself and others in our family group.
I'm sorry if this thread isn't the right place for all of this, but I guess that's my intro. Please please help!
**edit: she's also subject to falls, last year she fell into a china cabinet and almost died because she was startled awake and ran into the other room, tripping over the rug. She's having issues with her vocabulary, most recently she called her oven a stove. Another part of "forgetfulness" that should be included would be misplacing things, including important things. She NEEDS a routine, if there is a mess or a routine she gets very irrational, more than a normal person would.**
My grandmother is suffering from some form of dementia. I believe that her conditions are aggravated by severe malnutrition and abuse as a child. It's very clear to both of my parents and I that something isn't right; However, my sister and (more importantly) both of my grandparents deny it completely. She hasn't seen a doctor and they refuse to discuss our concerns.
Apparently she's been developing whatever this is since my parents' marriage (so at least 25-ish years). My parents both noticed it long ago. My mom says it didn't really hit her what was going on until she and my grandmother began arguing a lot over things my grandmother did or didn't say. She tried to talk to my grandfather about it but he blew her off.
It's gotten a lot worse in the past 5 years. She's become very forgetful (in just about every way), easily-angered, and even violent (but in a childish manner). It's almost as if she gets more and more like an ill-tempered child as she gets older and this illness progresses. It's increasingly hard on the people who know what's going on, partially because we see what's happening and can't help and partially because the way she's started interacting with us.
I currently live with my grandparents because of a medical situation of my own that has temporarily stalled my own life. She's become rather fussy with me, and when I talk to her about it she doesn't remember what she did, gets very very angry, "conjures up" things that I did, and then tells my grandfather so they can both yell at me. This woman was around more than my own mother a lot of the time, being treated like this is rather hard on me. Seeing her like this is hard. I'm really scared about what will happen; she always says that if she comes down with a disease like dementia that she will kill herself. My paternal grandfather recently died of alzheimers and that was very painful to watch. I want to help her and find support for myself and others in our family group.
I'm sorry if this thread isn't the right place for all of this, but I guess that's my intro. Please please help!
**edit: she's also subject to falls, last year she fell into a china cabinet and almost died because she was startled awake and ran into the other room, tripping over the rug. She's having issues with her vocabulary, most recently she called her oven a stove. Another part of "forgetfulness" that should be included would be misplacing things, including important things. She NEEDS a routine, if there is a mess or a routine she gets very irrational, more than a normal person would.**
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