I had the following posted on my fb page today - twice! Wildly inaccurate and deeply upsetting but I can't find the primary source. I've asked the 'posters' to delete it before it upsets anyone else. Dealing with dementia is difficult enough without having to read rubbish like this.
'Firstly there is a difference between Alzheimer's and vascular dementia- Alzheimer's patients can have medication that helps their cognitive state where as vascular dementia patients have a death sentence. They progress backwards to the point where they can't look after themselves and are in a newborn state. But unlike a newborn they lose the ability to swallow. Then the choice must be made as to provide a feeding tube or not.
Imprisonment in one's own rapidly shrinking brain is how a doctor described it to me. I wouldn't wish Dementia/Alzheimer's on my worst enemy. As the patient's brain slowly dies, they change physically and eventually forget who their loved ones are. Patients can eventually become bedridden, unable to move & unable to eat or drink. There will be people who will scroll by this message because Dementia/Alzheimer's has not touched them. They may not know what it's like to have a loved one who has led a battle against Dementia/Alzheimer's. For all the people I know, I ask a small favor.If you know someone who has battled with Dementia/Alzheimer's or is still struggling, please add this to your status for one hour. Copy & Paste to support victims & families affected by this cruel illness as there is no cure and there are no survivors! Hold your finger on the message to copy it, then paste it on your page. No tagging or sharing. Do this on behalf of all caregivers who love or care for someone with this disease.'
'Firstly there is a difference between Alzheimer's and vascular dementia- Alzheimer's patients can have medication that helps their cognitive state where as vascular dementia patients have a death sentence. They progress backwards to the point where they can't look after themselves and are in a newborn state. But unlike a newborn they lose the ability to swallow. Then the choice must be made as to provide a feeding tube or not.
Imprisonment in one's own rapidly shrinking brain is how a doctor described it to me. I wouldn't wish Dementia/Alzheimer's on my worst enemy. As the patient's brain slowly dies, they change physically and eventually forget who their loved ones are. Patients can eventually become bedridden, unable to move & unable to eat or drink. There will be people who will scroll by this message because Dementia/Alzheimer's has not touched them. They may not know what it's like to have a loved one who has led a battle against Dementia/Alzheimer's. For all the people I know, I ask a small favor.If you know someone who has battled with Dementia/Alzheimer's or is still struggling, please add this to your status for one hour. Copy & Paste to support victims & families affected by this cruel illness as there is no cure and there are no survivors! Hold your finger on the message to copy it, then paste it on your page. No tagging or sharing. Do this on behalf of all caregivers who love or care for someone with this disease.'