I am the full-time care-giver for my mother who was diagnosed with AD more than 10 years ago & who has been taking aricept for most of that time. She is 87 years old and has progressed to the point that she sleeps almost all the time, can stand only briefly (with the support of a big, strong assistant), speaks very
infrequently (tho coherently most of the time when she does speak a word or 2) & knows no one (including herself). She can still feed herself a little with a spoon or her fingers. She still gets angry (when given a shower, for instance), yelps if not forewarned that she's about to get an injection, & responds positively to the attention of family & frequent care providers (reaches for a hand, holds it, pats it). She's been incontinent for >6 years but still holds bowel movements for the toilet.
I have a very convenient household setup for Mother's care; a wonderful husband who helps me with anything he can, buys all the groceries, etc.; enough skills & interests to keep me from being frustrated at the years of confinement; an assistant with extensive elder-care experience who gets Mother up & puts her to bed 6 days a week, bathes her, often feeds her & administers meds; and a sitter who is readily available when I need to run errands or keep an appointment. But what I don't have is anyone to ask pragmatic care-giving questions, such as "How do you decide when it is time to discontinue administering AD medication because it probably no longer enhances the patient's well-being?" and "What can I expect to happen when medication is discontinued?"
infrequently (tho coherently most of the time when she does speak a word or 2) & knows no one (including herself). She can still feed herself a little with a spoon or her fingers. She still gets angry (when given a shower, for instance), yelps if not forewarned that she's about to get an injection, & responds positively to the attention of family & frequent care providers (reaches for a hand, holds it, pats it). She's been incontinent for >6 years but still holds bowel movements for the toilet.
I have a very convenient household setup for Mother's care; a wonderful husband who helps me with anything he can, buys all the groceries, etc.; enough skills & interests to keep me from being frustrated at the years of confinement; an assistant with extensive elder-care experience who gets Mother up & puts her to bed 6 days a week, bathes her, often feeds her & administers meds; and a sitter who is readily available when I need to run errands or keep an appointment. But what I don't have is anyone to ask pragmatic care-giving questions, such as "How do you decide when it is time to discontinue administering AD medication because it probably no longer enhances the patient's well-being?" and "What can I expect to happen when medication is discontinued?"
