HI all,
First post here. Nice to meet you all although wish I didn't need too
My dad (74) was recently diagnosed with Alzheimers. His memory and confusion had been growing increasingly worse since lockdown and over the last 6 months has nose dived. We struggled to get a diagnosis (don't get me started on benenden health :-() but having now seen some proper doctors we have no doubt. We're not entirely sure what stage he would be classed as but he's now struggling to remember close family, has trouble dressing/shaving, sleeps poorly etc. He does have "better" days but these are really just fleeting periods of semi lucidness punctuating overall confusion.
Recently, my Dads Mum died. Also suffered dementia over the last 10 years but made it to 96 so can't really complain. My mum (dads sole carer) tried to break the news gently to him on several occasions. Its hard to say if in that moment he can grasp it but its definetely not retained in any meaningful way and he will still state he going home to his mum and dads on occasion.
Advise from the AS is that if he isn't retaining the information it may do more harm than good to keep telling him, and similarly attending the funeral service would be similarly distressing. I know my mum has been given slightly contradictory advise that it may help him process the grief so I guess if anyone has similar experience to this with a sufferer in the same sort of stages I would love to get your advise/experiences if you don't mind?
Thanks all
Chris
First post here. Nice to meet you all although wish I didn't need too
My dad (74) was recently diagnosed with Alzheimers. His memory and confusion had been growing increasingly worse since lockdown and over the last 6 months has nose dived. We struggled to get a diagnosis (don't get me started on benenden health :-() but having now seen some proper doctors we have no doubt. We're not entirely sure what stage he would be classed as but he's now struggling to remember close family, has trouble dressing/shaving, sleeps poorly etc. He does have "better" days but these are really just fleeting periods of semi lucidness punctuating overall confusion.
Recently, my Dads Mum died. Also suffered dementia over the last 10 years but made it to 96 so can't really complain. My mum (dads sole carer) tried to break the news gently to him on several occasions. Its hard to say if in that moment he can grasp it but its definetely not retained in any meaningful way and he will still state he going home to his mum and dads on occasion.
Advise from the AS is that if he isn't retaining the information it may do more harm than good to keep telling him, and similarly attending the funeral service would be similarly distressing. I know my mum has been given slightly contradictory advise that it may help him process the grief so I guess if anyone has similar experience to this with a sufferer in the same sort of stages I would love to get your advise/experiences if you don't mind?
Thanks all
Chris