Hi folks, it's me again - husband with mid stage AD and me endlessly ranting.
It's a year since hubby saw the consultant and was diagnosed - she promised to post some helpful literature and prescribe medication. NOTHING HAPPENED.
Our doctor, fed up with the delay, prescribed Aricept - my husband took the tablets for a week, had instant explosive diarrhoea and refused to take any more. He then made a decision (probably the last time he was able to decide anything) not to go to the Memory Clinic again. Result? discharged from further contact with the psychiatric nurse. NOW NOTHING'S HAPPENING.
He had a visit from an incontinence nurse - my husband cannot hold a conversation with anyone about anything, let alone loss of bowel control, so her visit resulted in NOTHING HAPPENING.
Today, I've received a letter from the Alzheimers Society telling me that we are currently 'inactive' on their system and they won't be contacting us again. That definately means NOTHING'S GOING TO HAPPEN.
My husband has been diagnosed with a terminal disease for which there is no cure - I understand that. I struggle with the complete abdication of responsibility and care - and downright interest - from members of the medical profession.
I do, however, bask in the warm glow of constant attention from my doctor and helpful literature freely available. Crikey I hear you say - what life threatening condition do I have? Asthma - and just for the record from personal experience, it's life threatening and there is no cure.
So why doesn't anyone care about dementia - I mean really care enough to ask how they can help? I know why, and so does everyone who posts on this forum. Nobody has a clue what to do, how to cure it or even how long it lasts - so empty promises and evaluations are made, boxes are ticked and backs are turned. It's a familiar story and we all tell it.
Thanks for listening.
It's a year since hubby saw the consultant and was diagnosed - she promised to post some helpful literature and prescribe medication. NOTHING HAPPENED.
Our doctor, fed up with the delay, prescribed Aricept - my husband took the tablets for a week, had instant explosive diarrhoea and refused to take any more. He then made a decision (probably the last time he was able to decide anything) not to go to the Memory Clinic again. Result? discharged from further contact with the psychiatric nurse. NOW NOTHING'S HAPPENING.
He had a visit from an incontinence nurse - my husband cannot hold a conversation with anyone about anything, let alone loss of bowel control, so her visit resulted in NOTHING HAPPENING.
Today, I've received a letter from the Alzheimers Society telling me that we are currently 'inactive' on their system and they won't be contacting us again. That definately means NOTHING'S GOING TO HAPPEN.
My husband has been diagnosed with a terminal disease for which there is no cure - I understand that. I struggle with the complete abdication of responsibility and care - and downright interest - from members of the medical profession.
I do, however, bask in the warm glow of constant attention from my doctor and helpful literature freely available. Crikey I hear you say - what life threatening condition do I have? Asthma - and just for the record from personal experience, it's life threatening and there is no cure.
So why doesn't anyone care about dementia - I mean really care enough to ask how they can help? I know why, and so does everyone who posts on this forum. Nobody has a clue what to do, how to cure it or even how long it lasts - so empty promises and evaluations are made, boxes are ticked and backs are turned. It's a familiar story and we all tell it.
Thanks for listening.