Please, please anyone out there, caregivers, family members, medical professionals....I've been getting on the sites and continue to look for new treatment for my Mother who has been declining significantly in the last year. She is 78 and has been diagnosed for about 7 years. She's on Namenda and the Exelon Patch, B12 shots and zyprexa. I've been reading about cinnamon, turmeric, and another type's of alzheimer's "cocktails". I'm taking my Mother to the Neurologist tomorrow---how do I get him to take me seriously about any of these treatments ---I'm afraid he'll just dismiss me. She's in a alzheimer's care unit, but I see her every weekend, but they won't dispense any meds/etc unless they have a doctor's orders. I just feel so helpless to help my Mother....
- Introduction
- Diagnosis
- Treatment
- Prevention
-
Caregiving
- Coping with Emotional Changes
- Coping with Memory Loss
- Costs and Insurance
- Creating a Daily Routine
- Exercise
- Health and Wellbeing of the Caregiver
- Home Safety Adjustments
- Mental Exercises
- Respite Care
- Talking to Children about Alzheimer's
- Talking to Friends about Alzheimer's
- Telling Someone They Have Alzheimer's
- Transition to Assisted Living
- Transition to Nursing Home
- Work
- Related Conditions
- Resources
Hi, Lynne,
One more thought - exercise. You'll be interested in Carol Bradley Bursack's sharepost, Study Shows Structured Exercise Can Improve Quality of Life for People with Alzheimer's . And you won't need a prescription from the doctor to implement it!
Take care and keep us posted!
Dorian
<!-- /awareness month promo --> <!-- content -->
Hi Lynne,
I am so sorry that your Mom has Alzheimer's and I admire you that you are trying so hard to help your Mom.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for Alzheimer's. My father-in-law also has late moderate Alzheimer's. He cannot take the drugs for Alzheimer's due to side effect and old age (he is 89.)
I don't know what stage your Mom is, and I think her drugs namenda and exelon are exactly what she should take. No cure. These drugs are only for delaying symtoms - not years. These drugs help the caregivers and delay her symptoms, but the drugs cannot cure Alzheimer's and it can only delay symptoms.
If you are looking for cure, I am afraid you will be disappointed and I am sorry about that. Today there is no cure for dementia including Alzheimer's. So we all have to deal with Alzheimer's as painful experiences with our loved ones. It is indeed a horrible disease.
Have you thought of giving her the quality of caregiving and make her comfortable living in the home? Sometimes instead of trying to heal her so hard, you can try to learn to deal with her. There are lots of distraction and therapy talks with the patient and etc. It is hard to see a loved one losing memories, but there is only so much we can do. You can try to give your Mom comfort or even share with her in her own world. It is hard for my husband to face it as well and now his Dad does not even know his elder son anymore (my husband is the younger one with different mother.) My FIL does not know his own house anymore. He forgot so much about his own life and past and yet he still wants to live like before. We can only do so much to comfort him and cope with him in his own world without getting him agitated.
There is so much to learn about caring for the elders with Alzheimer's.
I understand your need to heal your mother or save her, but I think we are all in the same boat that we cannot save or heal our loved ones, but we can try to give them the best quality of life if possible. You can try to give her alternative treatment or vitamins or so-called pills for memory, but you also need to pay attention to her now before you lose her again in her memory. Catch her now before she is totally lost. Try to share with her or spend time wth her to enjoy the time that you have with her.
I know this does not answer the questions, but I just want to let you know you are not alone.
Take care,
Nina
Lynne,
Also taking namenda and exelon is a long-term situation. If you take them off now, it may not keep the effect that she may have. You may not know but these drugs may have delayed her symptons and make her more perceptive. This makes caregiving easier as she could co-operate more.
My FIL had taken namenda and exelon for a year and half until late 2008 due to side effects and old age. We may ask the new doctor to try them again after we move him to this assisted living home.
This is the best treatment for now.
Also, if you try other cocktails or whatever, you need to make sure if your Mom can take it without any heart or liver/kidney problems. The elders cannot just try any medications like that - they all have side effects. be cautious when you do that.
Take care,
Nina
Lynne,
If you see too many copies of my second answer, please ignore the copies - the website has some bugs that made me enter too many times.
Take care,
Nina
dear lynne, although the doctors are giving your mother medications, the best medicine for her right now, is you and other family members.i too take care of my 73 year old mother with alzheimer. please believe me when i say we feel you.my way of dealing with this awful disease is love, patience, and understanding seems like all the medication in the world is not working, so the next best thing is to give her your own prescribtion love patience and understanding even if you don't understand sometime and that's for free.good luck lynne and god bless!!
You could ask her doctor about participating in a clinical trial for a drug in development. But remember - and this is scary - there currently is NO cure for Alzheimer's. And while I am all for CAM (complementary and alternative medicine), I am not trying any of that with my Mom, who lives in an Alzheimer's ALF. I do encourage Mom to participate in the special exercise classes the ALF provides, and I do take her herbal, decaf SleepyTime tea, but this is more to manage the disease and make her comfortable, I certainly don't expect exercise or herbal tea will cure her.
I really wish I could give you some happier thoughts, but just know that there are alot of is caregivers, like you, who are feeling helpless and wishing we could do more. I try to take comfort in knowing that, at least right now, my Mom knows I am here for her.
Hi Lynne,
This is devastating, I know. Most of us on this site are or have been in your shoes.
Most doctors won't take alternative methods seriously, but diet, excercise, anti-oxidants and, yes curcumin, (tumeric or turmeric) have show results in studies. Most of these are not going to hurt, so I doubt that the doctor will object. Be ready to be "dismissed," but ask directly - will these hurt? If not, why not try them? If he/she says you are wasting your time and money, that is your choice.
Take care of yourself, Lynne. There is no cure, but there's no reason you can't try to put off the worst symptoms.
Carol
Important:
We hope you find this general health information helpful. Please note however, that this Q&A is meant to support not replace the professional medical advice you receive from your doctor. No information in the Answers above is intended to diagnose or treat any condition. The views expressed in the Answers above belong to the individuals who posted them and do not necessarily reflect the views of Remedy Health Media. Remedy Health Media does not review or edit content posted by our community members, but reserves the right to remove any material it deems inappropriate.
Featuring Content From:
By using this service, you accept our Terms of Use. Please read them. The consumer health information on is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions. You should promptly seek professional medical care if you have any concern about your health, and you should always consult your physician before starting a fitness regimen. Copyright © 2012 Remedy Health Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
