Hello All *waves*

[Charli]

Hello Everyone

Let me start my telling you a little bit about myself... my name is Charli and I'm 19 years old. I'm at college doing media production, and im working part time as a cleaner. The 3 most important things to me are my family, my boyfriend james, and my frieds.

Unfourtunaly my Grandma has alzheimers disease... and even though we have known about it for a while, its got alot worse in recent times and well... its a long story but a couple of nights ago at 11pm my mum and dad go over there, and she has broken her arm in 2 places, and had no idea how she did it...

so she had to go to hospital and now the doctors want to put her straight into a home from the hospital, which im finding very difficult to deal with... its all happenned so quickly, i could really do with some people to talk to about it...


Charli xxx

 

[rummy]

Hi Charli,
Welcome to TP. I am so sorry about your Grandma. It is very hard to watch someone you love so much decline this way. Any time you need to talk there are alot of folks here ready to listen. And alot of folks here have with Grandparents with Alzheimers.
Take care,
Debbie

 

[Charli]

thank you very much... it is difficult, you are right.

Its just... when she talks and puts things in random places (my favourite one was finding 4 lemons in the oven) its just... its difficult to see how it can be the same person, though i know it is.

Question, does alchahol make alzheimers worse or develop quicker? My grandad gave my granma alchahol all through the day for the last.,... year or so, because it annoyed him that she kept repeating herself... he had a stroke you see, so he doesnt understand whats happenning to her.... but im quite curious to know if the alchahol would have made a diffrence? its in the last year or so that she has worsened greatly... charli xx

 

[rummy]

I don't think a little toddie in the evening is hurtful if that is something they have always enjoyed. My folks still have their happy hour. However, alcohol does impair the mind of a healthy person. Alot of it can't be good for someone with AD. My folks have too much, 3-4 glasses of wine and then Brandy before bed. My Mom's speech becomes more slurred and she can't think at all after 6pm. And then my Dad wonders why she can't make it to the potty in time! I stayed overnight with Mom this week while my Dad had a hospital stay. She had one little glass and that was it. She did really well that evening. So I am guessing that drinking so much is really not doing her any good. But, I am powerless to change it as my Dad is there 24/7. All I can do is make suggestions but booze has always been a sensitive subject with my folks and after 55 years of living this way, I doubt anything will change. I just say, if it makes them happy, fine. They are in their twillite years and should live it how they see fit.
It sounds like your Grandpa is using it as a behavioral modification though, and not a social outlet ! I would talk to their GP about it if you can.
Debbie

 

[DickG]

Hi Charli

I am quite an expert on alcholism on a personal basis. My mother was an alcoholic and died at 60 and my son is an alcoholic (albeit in remission). I believe that despite my experiences ther is nothing wrong with a glass or two, in fact in our local EMI unit they often give the residents a glass of something they fancy with no ill effects.

My wife Mary, who has AD, has always had a couple of glasse of wine with her evening meal and would refuse any medication that prohibits her lifetime habit. She is currently on medication which gives the warning "avoid alcohol" and the consultant said ignore the warning as a couple of glasses will do more good than harm although it may make her sleep, which it does.

If you follow TP you will see that there are some common threads running through our experiences most notable finding things in odd places. Hang on to the fact that you love your grandma and don't forget to tell her so -constantly.

Hugs

Dick