Apologies if this subject has come up before but I'm still quite new here! Just to put you in the picture, before I ask my question, here are a few facts :
My Dad is 70 and, according to his psychiatrist, in the "middle stages" of AD. He can still hold a conversation (albeit a very repetitive one), he still has a very good appetite and he still manages to wash, dress, feed himself etc. His sense of humour remains in tact and he can even be quite sharp witted at times. He doesn't however watch tv anymore or read and can't use electrical appliances. He can no longer remember anything that he does, no matter how significant, or anything that is said to him. Just recently he's started asking where his parents are and they died 50 and 25 years ago. He has also, on occasions, been unable to tell me apart from my sister and vice versa. He struggles to recognise my brother on the odd occasion they meet these days (don't get me started...).
I know that Dad is going to lose the ability to speak, recognise me, feed himself etc etc but I'm struggling to understand how this happens. I think the fact that he is still physically in control makes it hard for me to imagine the future and I'd really like to prepare myself mentally for this, if I can. I am a bit of a knowledge freak and don't like surprises. Can anyone tell me, will Dad's decline just creep up on us slowly or will he suddenly get worse? Which faculties go first?
If anyone could share their own experiences or let me have the benefit of their (un)professional opinion I would very much appreciate it.
tubbie
My Dad is 70 and, according to his psychiatrist, in the "middle stages" of AD. He can still hold a conversation (albeit a very repetitive one), he still has a very good appetite and he still manages to wash, dress, feed himself etc. His sense of humour remains in tact and he can even be quite sharp witted at times. He doesn't however watch tv anymore or read and can't use electrical appliances. He can no longer remember anything that he does, no matter how significant, or anything that is said to him. Just recently he's started asking where his parents are and they died 50 and 25 years ago. He has also, on occasions, been unable to tell me apart from my sister and vice versa. He struggles to recognise my brother on the odd occasion they meet these days (don't get me started...).
I know that Dad is going to lose the ability to speak, recognise me, feed himself etc etc but I'm struggling to understand how this happens. I think the fact that he is still physically in control makes it hard for me to imagine the future and I'd really like to prepare myself mentally for this, if I can. I am a bit of a knowledge freak and don't like surprises. Can anyone tell me, will Dad's decline just creep up on us slowly or will he suddenly get worse? Which faculties go first?
If anyone could share their own experiences or let me have the benefit of their (un)professional opinion I would very much appreciate it.
tubbie