Signs of dementia

[ultrarunner]

^^^ I realize that I have been very lucky so far...

When Mom feels depressed about things I ask her what's my name... she said if that day comes put her in a home...

No one in my family has ever been to a home with one exception... the farming community where Mom grew up building a senior housing project in the middle of town... church next door... fire department the other way... post office, tavern and bus stop right in front... etc... my Grandfather decided he wanted to move there since many of his lifelong friends lived there...

He was there 4 years and helped to write the early history of the town... he really enjoyed it and was quite unassuming... part of it was practical as they had built a separate home back in the 60's on the farm and he said it made little sense to heat and cook for one 89 year old person to live there in the deep winters... he also wanted the kids not to be burdened checking on him daily... as mentioned... he was very sharp mentally and mobile with a cane.

 

[k0ua]

he was very sharp mentally and mobile with a cane.

I worked with a man in his late 80's at a 2 way mobile radio shop. He was still sharp as can be. He designed a radio console for the Nixa police department and then constructed it. He was especially helpful on the older Motorola radios that came in the door. He was also in good health not to mention he was just a prince of a fella. I really enjoyed working with and learning from him. It doesn't have to happen to all of us as he was proof. he lived until his late 90's. But in my current experience in selling Medicare supplements, I see so many people who are much younger than him in such bad physical and so many in bad mental shape.

 

[Bird]

Her concern for tardiness is how I would be. I'm never late for anything. The correct arrival time to me is at least 15 minutes early.

That's me, too. I was late to work ONE time in my life; thought my alarm clock failed to work.

 

[ultrarunner]

I'm the always on time person... seldom early and NEVER late.

It drives Mom crazy at times...

At Christmas she insisted on being at the church 30 minutes early... we were the very first ones there... the door was still locked... she remembers how it used to be 40 years ago... no chance of getting a seat unless you arrived early... main Christmas Service and maybe 30% empty... at least she has longtime friends that she is happy to see.

 

[MossRoad]

Thanks for the link Moss. Lost my Dad to Alzheimer's 22 years ago. Makes me a bit paranoid concerning myself. I'm 65 and occasionally display all ten of those. But fortunately my behavior falls in the normal aging category.

I think it's normal to be concerned as we age. The mental quality and management level diminishes. That's a bit frightening.

My wife and I joke around that she's going to have her hands full with me in the future.... it was funny until you see some of your relatives go through it.... we don't joke about it too much anymore. Her dad had a foot of his intestine removed a few months ago at 89 years old. He was a tad forgetful before the surgery. Now, he's extremely forgetful. We are convinced the anesthesia fogged his brain. At least he's a happy forgetful and not an angry forgetful. Always look for the bright side. He could have come out swinging.

 

[ultrarunner]

Anesthesia and brain fogging isn't talked about much...

Mom had several surgeries and we noticed a marked decline...

 

[MossRoad]

Anesthesia and brain fogging isn't talked about much...

Mom had several surgeries and we noticed a marked decline...

I first learned about brain fogging from a sibling who had cancer. She was worried that she'd get fogged and not be the same person she was before treatments/surgery. Fortunately for her, she was as good as new. Dying was the only alternative to the risk of brain fog. She had no choice.

 

[dmccarty]

...

What causes me stress is when she is cleaning out the closets or dresser drawers... she had a diamond ring out with things for goodwill... which is fine if she really wanted to do that but she thought all the jewelry was costume and it was real... not that she has much except what was passed down through the family...

When my grandmother was starting to loose it, one of those thieving antique guys found my grand parents. I am assuming he hit up all of the neighbors since they were all retired. My grandmother "sold" a walnut, baby rocker that had been in the family for many generations. The rocker had very wide boards and had to have been worth a good amount of money. We don't know how much my grandmother got for the rocker but we know it was not enough. Of course, the rocker should never have been sold in the first place and there had been many conversations between my grandmother, my mother and my aunts to NEVER sell that baby rocker.

That antique dealer was preying on older people and I hope he reaps the seeds he has sown. That rocker should have been passed down to my kids but instead this scum back stole it from my grandmother for a few dollars.

Later,
Dan

 

[dmccarty]

Kinda ironically, but at the same time this thread popped up, a discussion on one of the boating forums about sailing when older. They guy who started the conversation is 80 and having a harder time taking care of and sailing his boat. He wanted to know what he could do equipment wise to make it easier to sail his boat or should he just buy a newer boat with more modern equipment. :laughing::laughing::laughing:

I found it inspirational because the guy was 80 and trying to figure out how to keep sailing even though some things were getting harder to do. :thumbsup:

After people discussed his sailing issues, the conversation started to go into health and age. It amazed me how many people in the discussion were out sailing in the 70's and even 80's. Some are doing coastal sailing but others are still traveling around the world. This is not the first time I have read these age and sailing discussions which make me wonder if the physical and mental requirements to sail help keep people healthier. Certainly, the older people sailing have age related problems but it seems the lifestyle helps hold back health issues, both mental and physical. My theory is that simple act of getting out there and sailing provides a decent amount of physical and mental exercise. It keeps one active and moving both mentally and physically instead of sitting at home watching the boob tube.

At some point, most people have to swallow the anchor and move to a home on land for the final years but there are quite a few people out there still sailing in their 70's and 80's. Flip side, is that there are some people sailing that should not be. I can think of at least one recent case where a guy down in Australia seems to have lost his mental ability to safely sail. There are also incidents where people have disappeared at sea and I wonder if their age had something to do with them not returning. Course, I would rather die doing something I want to do, than waiting to die in a retirement home, especially if I had dementia.

The wife and I were talking about being the care giver because a friend of ours is having to take care of her father who has dementia. She has been doing this for years. In her case, they have enough money so that the father can live with her and she can be the full time care giver. She can afford to take him to an elderly day care center which gives her time to do chores, get some rest, and maybe do something for herself. So many people just don't have this as an option.

Later,
Dan

 

[buickanddeere]

Anesthesia and brain fogging isn't talked about much...

Mom had several surgeries and we noticed a marked decline...

A real concern. I had anesthesia twice in a week in October 2007 when a physician looking for polyps nearly killed me with a hemorrhage. I was ok after the first anesthesia but stunned for months after the 2nd , which I was suspect was more hurried, deeper and with less care . Slower thinking and problems accessing memories .
My Father was fine after his first knee replacement but affected for over a year after the other knee was replaced.