My dad is not on any ALZ meds....
My dad is not on any ALZ meds....only blood pressure meds. He is in late stages and lives at home with my mom and sister. He sees people, animals, "things" frequently. We just tell him "No, there's no one/nothing there. Is that the right thing to tell him? Would any kind of medicine help him?
Does it upset him when you tell him no? To his mind, this is real. I'm not saying to agree with something that is frightening him, but if you can say something like, "I'll go check on this," or, "I'll see what he wants and tell him to leave," that can work. The main thing is to do whatever it takes to calm him and reassure him without making him "wrong" all the time. If you are saying no one is there and he isn't upset, then keep doing what you are doing. Only you can tell what approach works best for him.
I would definitely see if any medications can help. See a gerontologist or someone who knows the disease well. It could be that in his late stage, nothing will help slow the decline (which is what most current medications do), but there are anti-anxiety drugs that may help with some of his issues. You don't want to turn him into a zombie with drugs, however. That's not the aim. So, assuring him he is safe and cared for is the most important thing.
A talk with a competent doctor is never a bad thing.
Take care,
Carol
- Thank you for your input
- Ranked Helpful (2)
- Report Abuse
Carol Bradley Bursack
Monday, September 14, 2009 at 11:51 AM
That's right, it's day by day. If he already sleeps a lot and he isn't bothered or upset by these images, maybe everything is as good as it can be. You sound like very caring people. He's lucky to have you.
Carol
He probably needs to have AD drugs or at least some drugs for anxiety/depression. Depending on his stage, AD drugs work better if he has early/moderate stages. The drugs may not work well for later stages. Some drugs also have side-effects. My father-in-law does not take AD drugs anymore because he was too confused after taking them and now he is taking other drugs for his heart.
I would think your Dad should take some drugs to control his AD, but AD drugs are optional and don't really stop the progression.
Take care,
Nina
- Thank you for your input
- Ranked Helpful (2)
- Report Abuse
BMW
Monday, September 14, 2009 at 11:34 AM
Thanks, Nina!
As you can see from previous reply, dad was on Excelon, but side effects required him to stop them. And they didn't make a noticable difference anymore. So, we march on. Good luck caring for your father-in-law.
My Mom is living in a facility and is in what I believe to be the moderate to later stages of her disease. She too sees people and animals and I believe she is hallucinating. She is not on any AD drugs but is taking anti-anxiety/antidepressant medications. A few weeks ago my Mom was exhausted but just could not lay down to rest. We got her into her bed 4 or 5 times but within minutes she was up again and anxious. I asked her if there was anything I could do to help her and she took me by the hand and quickly directed me into her bathroom. As we stood in the doorway she pointed to the floor and said "see the babies...they are cold and hungry and I'm afraid they will all die". I told her that everything would be OK and she could now go and rest and I explained that while she took a nap I would feed all of the babies, get them into warm blankets and take care of them. I told her all of the babies were going to be just fine and she did not have to worry about them anymore.
This worked in this instance and as I took Mom back to her bed I reassured her again and she was finally able to fall asleep. When she awoke she had forgotten about the babies.
Mom has also insisted that there are numerous cats in her room and she will leave several bowls of water on her floor for them. I allow her to continue feeding the animals because by doing so she seems to be less anxious about them being in her room.
These are my personal experiences and what has worked for my Mom. Everyone is different and deals with their situations as best they know how to. I don't believe there is any "right or wrong" way to handle these situations, it is unique to each individual. My Mom's physician is fully aware of these difficulties and continues to monitor her health and manage her prescriptions.
- Thank you for your input
- Ranked Helpful (2)
- Report Abuse
BMW
Monday, September 14, 2009 at 11:42 AM
j
Monday, September 14, 2009 at 08:08 PM
My Mom is taking Zanax 3 times per day and has an additional prn as needed for Zanax. She is also on an anti-psychotic drug called Zyprexa. I do believe the combination of these drugs has been helpful to my Mother as she seems much less anxious than she was prior to taking them.
At one time my Mother was put on the Exelon Patch but the side effects were horrendous for her. She became suicidal almost immediately so I requested that this drug be discontinued.
This is such a difficult journey we are on with our parents and it takes tons of patience, compassion and love to help them as best we can. You are correct that it is heartbreaking to watch them go through so much. Sometimes the stress just seems unmanageable, sometimes I feel depressed and angry and don't understand why this had to happen to my Mom. Often I pray and ask God to put his arms around my Mom and my family.
This site has provided me with some wonderful guidance and support. Together we can get through this difficult time in all of our lives.
Jan
BMW
Monday, September 14, 2009 at 08:36 PM
Jan,
Asking God to put His arms around your mom and family is such a wonderful thing to think about. I will steal that thought/prayer and use it myself. It's comforting to know we can trust Him to help us .
I am new to this site...the question I posted yesterday is my first, and I am so glad to hear from real people dealing with day to day struggles with alzheimers' victims. It's always good to know you are not alone. Thank you.
j
Tuesday, September 15, 2009 at 12:25 AM
I am glad you joined this site and hope you will find it as helpful as I have. Please keep in touch and let us know how everything is going. Sometimes I have questions and I post, other times I vent frustrations and anger but I also share moments of joy and wonderful experiences I've had with my Mom. I have made some very good friends on this site, received sound advice and/or opinons and have been given support and understanding. Overall, I've learned so much about this horrible disease, how to cope and handle situations that arise daily, how to continue to find humor in life and how to take care of myself so that I can continue to help my Mom. Most importantly, I've grown and feel I have become a better person. Thank you for sharing with us and please keep us posted.
Thank you for your comments.
No, dad doesn't seem upset when we tell him there's nothing there. He just shakes his head a bit, and seems to forget about it. He usually isn't frightened by the images, just bothered and curious. Or so it seems. We'll have to be more attentive.
Dad was taking Excelon, but had side effects, so they were stopped. They didn't seem to help much anymore. The doctor is aware of dad's progress. Perhaps we'll ask about anti-anxiety drugs. The only downside is that dad sleeps so much now, that any drug may make him even sleepier.
Ah, well.....day by day.