Alzheimer's Disease Support Group

My 95 year old dad was diagnosed in June '07. We have been caring for him at home since December '06, when my stepmom passed away. The six of us sibs had no idea of my dad's condition until we began caring for him. My stepmom had done such an outstanding job of caring for him that we didn't notice he was slipping. Anyway, how do you care for someone for six months and not have it dawn on you to take them to the doctor for an evaluation, duh? I guess being country people where you kind of stick your wonky relatives in the closet until company leaves, gives you a somewhat retarded approach to mental conditions.

Finally, we did take Dad to his country GP who gave him a little cognitive reasoning exam and prescribed Aricept, which helped him considerably. So, as time went by, I joined this support group and began to gain a lot of insight and information. People posting on this site, mentioned diagnosis by neurological and neuropsychiatric doctors. As a consequence of the information I gained from this site, we took Dad to a neurological appointment this past June, about a year after he was originally diagnosed. There, he received a prescription for Namenda and I'm happy to report, has eliminated his afternoon blue period and has lessened his Dr. Jekyl sleep walking.

I cannot say enough good things for the Alzheimer's Disease Support Group and for all of you who have freely given your information and your support. God bless you all, and God, please give us the strength and vision to carry on.
Posted on 08/09/08, 06:08 pm