Out with the old.

Big Kahuna

Administrator
Location
Tuscaloosa, AL
2018 has been an up and down year. Some good, some bad. Picked up my dream hull and it did not disappoint. In process made some new friends. Cannot wait for Daytona. Had some down moments. Parents health is going down. They are in their 80's. My Dad was diagnosed with I guess you would call it a mild to medium dementia. We had a major issue Sunday before Christmas that has just absolutely turned my life upside down because of dementia. One of those cases where you get stuck in middle and really not much you can do. Just hope in time things can get better and fences mended.

Happy New Year X'ers. Hope this coming year is great for everyone.
 
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Big Kahuna

Administrator
Location
Tuscaloosa, AL
9 months later and yeah, things not getting any better............. worse actually............. They call it the "Long Goodbye"...................
 

MarkWalker

Site Supporter
Location
Buffalo NY
Same situation happening here. Dad is 86, beginning stages of Parkinson's. His legs are giving out. He fell pretty hard last week. You just absolutely hate to watch what's going on. I'm just trying to spend as much time as I can with my parents now.
 
Sorry to hear- never easy to watch the mind go- especially slowly. My dad has Parkinson’s but it hasn’t effected his mind yet. I see dementia all the time at the hospital and a lot of families like yourself stuck in the “sandwich generation”. My prayers are with your family.


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Quinc

Buy a Superjet
Location
California
I know old people are pretty set in there ways but maybe you can try getting them on a no carb diet like keto. There are a ton of websites out there for reciepes to make the food taste great. And there are the online meal services that will ship keto meals straight to there house.

Edit: The below links are the studies showing how a low carb diet helps with brain function specifically in Dementia, Alzheimer etc.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30554068
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6356942/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2367001/
 
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Big Kahuna

Administrator
Location
Tuscaloosa, AL
Well, Last tuesday night we had to put him in a Geriatric Psyche Unit. He got very agitated and confused. Was threatening to jump off the 4th floor balcony. Even told my mom if she did not leave him alone he would take her with him. She and his best friend got him to calm down. Got paramedics to come. Sat and Sunday were better days. He was more lucid than he had been, got a good night sleep. But the Dementia is in full effect. He knew who we were, but he had no idea where and when he was.......... I hope and pray non of your family members ever has to go through this.
 

E350

Site Supporter
Location
Sacramento Delta
Well, Last tuesday night we had to put him in a Geriatric Psyche Unit. He got very agitated and confused. Was threatening to jump off the 4th floor balcony. Even told my mom if she did not leave him alone he would take her with him. She and his best friend got him to calm down. Got paramedics to come. Sat and Sunday were better days. He was more lucid than he had been, got a good night sleep. But the Dementia is in full effect. He knew who we were, but he had no idea where and when he was.......... I hope and pray non of your family members ever has to go through this.
Best if you pend as much time with him as you can. It will be good for you and for your Mom.
 

Big Kahuna

Administrator
Location
Tuscaloosa, AL
Once he gets out of hospital he will be going to a memory unit at the retirement community they live in...... Or assisted living of some type. Doubt he will be back in their apartment/condo again. Can only hope and pray he gets better but not really expecting much.
 

Big Kahuna

Administrator
Location
Tuscaloosa, AL
I feel for you Harrison. My grandmother had dementia and passed away about 10 years ago. Her last 5 years it was bad and she didn’t even know who her family members were. Luckily my brother worked at the nursing home she was at and made sure she was taken care of.
That is what I am afraid of.......... I know he does not want to go on with this quality of life....... Not being in control of his thoughts........ I know its sounds bad, but I am a realist in ways. I believe he would rather pass away sooner rather than existing for years this way. In 1984 he survived a brain aneurysm. The Dr told us the next morning that if he made it this long, he should be ok........ So, every day since then has been a gift. He was my age at the time.
 

SXIPro

JM781 Big Bore
Site Supporter
It's brutal. You hit the nail on the head as far as quality of life and not being in control of his thoughts. I will never ever forget visiting my Dad when he still lived in an inlaw apartment at my brother's house. It was actually a day he remembered my name, which rarely happened at that point, he used to just call me " the guy that lives with the cute blonde on the other side of the lake." ..he was ALL about the ladies right till the end. Anyhow, I'd gone in to his bedroom, and my Mom was in the kitchen and he grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me close and said "Russell, go get me a gun from that bearded guy next door "(my brother, Mark) and then he makes this motion like he is shooting himself. UGGHH. It is etched in my brain like it happened yesterday and that was 4 years ago. Harrison, I pray for you and yours every time I talk to the Big Guy, and that is no poop.
 

Big Kahuna

Administrator
Location
Tuscaloosa, AL
It's brutal. You hit the nail on the head as far as quality of life and not being in control of his thoughts. I will never ever forget visiting my Dad when he still lived in an inlaw apartment at my brother's house. It was actually a day he remembered my name, which rarely happened at that point, he used to just call me " the guy that lives with the cute blonde on the other side of the lake." ..he was ALL about the ladies right till the end. Anyhow, I'd gone in to his bedroom, and my Mom was in the kitchen and he grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me close and said "Russell, go get me a gun from that bearded guy next door "(my brother, Mark) and then he makes this motion like he is shooting himself. UGGHH. It is etched in my brain like it happened yesterday and that was 4 years ago. Harrison, I pray for you and yours every time I talk to the Big Guy, and that is no poop.
Thanks Buddy. Thank all of you for just listening.
 

chixwithtrix

Addicted
Location
Houston
That is tough man. Things like this really put life in perspective, family is precious, and seeing the decline of your loved ones is almost unspeakably painful. These words do little to help your situation, but...stay strong and enjoy the time you have on this earth.
 

Big Kahuna

Administrator
Location
Tuscaloosa, AL
And the blows just keep coming. He stood up real fast and fell over backwards, Busted head open (Cut). Luckily he is at a Hospital, So they rolled him down to the ER. Back in his room sleeping. Just got off phone with my mom, no report yet on how many stitches (if he got stitches) yet, waiting on his nurse to call back. She just got a call back from her Orthopedic Doc. She has a Torn Rotator Cuff................. Feel like someone is just kicking me in the nuts over and over...............
 

Midlake Crisis

Site Supporter
Location
Bakersfield, CA
My sympathy and respect to you and your Dad BK. My dad died 2 yrs ago after a 2 year battle with pancreatic cancer. This morning I am sitting with my 39 yr old brother who is on hospice dying of stomach cancer. Aging, disease, and death are terrible things that dont seem real when all is well and we are zipping around on our water scooters. It is good to think about it before it hits, to prioritize life, what is truly meaningful, what lies beyond.
 
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