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| We have been through two situations. My dad at 90 suffered dimentia as the result of lungs damaged from grain dust & chemicals. However, this was largely solved with a portable oxygen unit & the symptoms nearly disappeared.
My mother suffers from full blown ALZ. -overnight at the age of 92 her entire personality changed and began experiencing wide mood swings, hallucinations, violent outbursts. We attempted everything, finally settled upon a nursing service & after a few sessions they resigned and labeled her as a 'danger to herself and others.' Her daily schedule became very erratic with horrible nightmares and days when she was unable to sleep. She was violent to the extent she gave both my wife and I serious bruises as we attempted to care for her. In desperation, we hauled her off to a hospital psych unit....she was there for two weeks under psychiatric treatment & was prescribed mood enhancing medication. This helped a little. She would still awaken at 1 AM & scream & yell intermittently until 4 or 5 AM.....making outrageous demands....hallucinating & etc......except for some occasional family respite it required one of us in the house at all times....this entire situation began to take a mental toll on both of us & after considerable searching finally found a nursing facility with an ALZ unit. She NOW THRIVES IN THE PLACE & THEY HAVE MOVED HER OUT OF THE ALZ UNIT INTO the general nursing area.....SHE STILL HAS HER MOMENTS....but loves the place and no longer recognizes any of us (her family) but keeps the other patients in stitches with some of her strange stories....she long imagined she was a female police detective (keep in mind this woman was a hard working farm wife with a high school education and no other employment experience) and tells many stores of capturing criminals....she is nearing her 100th birthday and still strong as an ox. | |
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Alzheimers -- Aricept
