Hi, I joined Talking Point this week as I just don’t know how best to cope and am hoping people can offer me some advice.
Our father (83 years old) was diagnosed last year with Alzheimer’s and Vascular Dementia. As his primary carer, I have been trying to cope for the last year but am recently finding it hard to do so. I don’t know how to deal with the episodes he has? I have been reading books about “going along” with the person’s thoughts/feelings but when dad continually insists day after day that “we need to go to the bank to give Alan £5000” (he doesn’t’t know an Alan) or that “there is a Sesna waiting outside to take me to New York.”
I’m at a loss to know what to do. Do I go along with it as some of the books suggest? If this is the case, in reality I can’t just go to a bank with dad and withdraw £5000 and give it to an imaginary person. I can’t take him outside and pretend there’s a plane there... can I?
Please please please can someone help me? Thank you.
Our father (83 years old) was diagnosed last year with Alzheimer’s and Vascular Dementia. As his primary carer, I have been trying to cope for the last year but am recently finding it hard to do so. I don’t know how to deal with the episodes he has? I have been reading books about “going along” with the person’s thoughts/feelings but when dad continually insists day after day that “we need to go to the bank to give Alan £5000” (he doesn’t’t know an Alan) or that “there is a Sesna waiting outside to take me to New York.”
I’m at a loss to know what to do. Do I go along with it as some of the books suggest? If this is the case, in reality I can’t just go to a bank with dad and withdraw £5000 and give it to an imaginary person. I can’t take him outside and pretend there’s a plane there... can I?
Please please please can someone help me? Thank you.