Hi all
Just registered today and wanted to introduce myself. My Mum was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2004, although I was aware that something was wrong way back in 2000, but of course like many of you have probably experienced it took a long time before Mum would even agree to go to the doctors. She still lives at home on her own - my Dad died in 1993.
She has a carer who goes in twice a day to give her medication and heat a meal up for her at teatime, but I do the rest of her care, ie. shopping, housework, bathing, etc.
She is on Aricept but I don't think it is as effective as it once was. Her speech has deteriorated quite a bit over the past couple of years but I can usually understand what she is trying to say - most of the time.
She has now started ringing me and a good friend of hers at all hours of the day and sometimes in the middle of the night - which is quite disconcerting when you're sound asleep as the phone is right by my side of the bed!!! Not sure if this is just because the days are dark at this time of year and she is confusing night and day. No doubt we'll see if things change in the summer months. So I'm fairly sleep deprived at the moment.
I've been comforted by the fact that there are a lot of us out there going through the same thing and I look forward to hopefully offering some help with my own experiences as well as receiving some help too.
Roma
Just registered today and wanted to introduce myself. My Mum was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2004, although I was aware that something was wrong way back in 2000, but of course like many of you have probably experienced it took a long time before Mum would even agree to go to the doctors. She still lives at home on her own - my Dad died in 1993.
She has a carer who goes in twice a day to give her medication and heat a meal up for her at teatime, but I do the rest of her care, ie. shopping, housework, bathing, etc.
She is on Aricept but I don't think it is as effective as it once was. Her speech has deteriorated quite a bit over the past couple of years but I can usually understand what she is trying to say - most of the time.
She has now started ringing me and a good friend of hers at all hours of the day and sometimes in the middle of the night - which is quite disconcerting when you're sound asleep as the phone is right by my side of the bed!!! Not sure if this is just because the days are dark at this time of year and she is confusing night and day. No doubt we'll see if things change in the summer months. So I'm fairly sleep deprived at the moment.
I've been comforted by the fact that there are a lot of us out there going through the same thing and I look forward to hopefully offering some help with my own experiences as well as receiving some help too.
Roma