My stepfather is 85 and has advanced stage dementia. It is so sad. There is no cure and no meds to give him. All we can do is make him comfortable and watch him die.
It occured to me that one day many of us will likely be seeing geriatric psychiatrists like he has. Don't get me wrong - I think getting old is cool, but I don't think I'll have much to say about myself when I'm that age.
It's not that I don't think I'll need a doctor, but between the science of medicine and my own recovery I don't think we'll be seeing too much of each other.
Besides, isn't it true that schizophrenia is an illness that you can sort of grow out of over the years ? I wish it were true for my step-dad's dementia, but that is not the case.
Peace
Don Fraser
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Hello Don,
I'm sorry about your stepfather. My grandmother had Alzheimer's. At the end of her life, she forgot who we were and had to live in a nursing home.
Be careful: atypical antipsychotic drugs are not to be used for dementia. Staff at nursing homes routinely dope up patients they can't control, with drugs like Zyprexa and Haldol. This is a form of psychiatric abuse. It happened to my grandmother, and that was in 1992, so it's been going on forever.
Even if you have to repeat the same happy slogans over and over to your stepfather, that would be okay. I kept telling my grandmother "That's a pretty ring you have" because she wore a cheap rhinestone ring that glittered. She always responded, "Pretty Shitty."
I understand how you could feel about your stepfather's dementia. Tresure the time you have with him. Dementia and Alzheimer's are the worst diseases a person could have.
Just try to find things you can talk about with him, even if they are the same things.
Regards,
Christina