Early Onset Alzheimer's

LucsMama · Senior Member

Early Onset Alzheimer's

tabatha · Senior Member

i'm sorry to hear that.

how are they managing it now? it sounds like she needs to get with a doctor/social work and figure out a plan to keep her safe. idk what type of doc usually manages alzheimers but i'm sure her regular doctor can refer her.

a lot of people with alzheimers/dementia, especially early in the disease process do some "sundowning." which can be confusing to family/friends because they seem totally fine and then later in the day they are confused. as opposed to being confused/forgetful all the time, which i think is the general perception of alzheimers.

i would say she needs to go to her doctor, let them know whats going on and go from there. if nothing else, she can start making arrangements now for her care later. the money issues involved in long term care/assisted care can be complicated and it is *always* expensive. sometimes money has to be shuffled around certain ways.

also, i imagine she is embarassed about the whole thing, especially if she on her own and living independently. that would make it hard for her to reach out to family or seek further assistance.

hth.

happylib · Guru

We have/had family members with dementia. It's not easy, but depending on the situation, medication can sometimes help. It is also important to keep the mind stimulated. Playing card games, talking about current events, orienting the person to the date, providing calendars and other organizational and time oriented materials helps too. I don't know how it is for everyone but some can be very difficult and uncooperative. It would be helpful for you to be able to speak with her doctor about it. I know this sounds terrible, but you also need to start thinking into the future about things like power of attorney for health and financial. If she owns her house, you need to get some legal advice on that. If she gets to the point she can not live independently, you will need to plan for that.

I am sorry if this sounds negative. With proper treatment, you may be able to improve her situation and drastically slow the process. We have had to deal with various issues and it's not fun. If there is something you wonder about or I missed here, you can always ask me.

FoxyRoxy · Guru

My grandfather had Alzheimer and things do get a little complicated.

We deal with his condition for almost 10 years.

I read a book that was very good to explain the condition from the patient point of view.

The book is called Still Alice. A great book that explains how she might feel and why she has not talk about it. Is not about the disease but mostly about how they all feel.

I do have it so if you want it I can mail it to you.

LucsMama · Senior Member

Thanks ladies! Sorry I didn't get back to here until now... Luc started school this week.

@Tab she has been to her doc and is on med... we need to start keeping track with what she is on I guess. She is supposed to be drawing up her power of attorney for DH.

I bet you are right about her being embarrassed.... about 2 years ago her and her long time boyfriend broke up and for the first time in her life she has been on her own and loving her independence and now I bet she sees it slipping away... she is only 46!!!

The last time we were at her house she had all these notes all over the house and it was hard to make sense of them because they were all backwards like Lunch was written Lncuh.

@Libby, thanks for all the tips.. they are VERY helpful!

@Roxana, I would really love to read that book! Are you sure you don't mind?