Still Hanging On

It's been a while now since I have written anything for this blog. I couldn't face it for some reason. I felt I had nothing good to report. Alzheimer's is a slow death. A cruel disease of the mind. It has taken over my sweet dads mind and body.

I decided to suck it up and face it! I know a lot of you are going through the same thing with your loved ones and rather then hide, I need to be interacting with all of you so that we can benefit from each others support.

The update on my dad is that he is still hanging in there. He doesn't really talk anymore or do anything much for that matter. He still feeds himself though. He recently had a growth removed on his head that was cancerous. They claim they removed all the cancer. We have been praying for him. Praying mostly that he will not suffer. Our prayers aren't so much that he will recover from Alzheimer's or anything like that but more that he will be free of pain. I know it's up to the Lord what happens but I personally pray that the Lord will free him of this horrible disease by freeing his soul that is trapped. His beautiful soul is trapped in a body that can't communicate any longer. He can't communicate his love for us or the knowledge that he has for so many things. It's all dead. The only thing still living is his soul and it is trapped beneath his Alzheimer's skin. I am so SORRY you have to endure this dad!!!!

So for now, we continue to visit him and let him know we love him. He is still hanging on for some reason and that reason we won't know while living on this earth.

We love you dad!

Expect The Unexpected With Your Alzheimer's Loved One

It has been along while since I last posted anything. Lots of changes recently. The place my dad was living wasn't the perfect place for him after all. Alzheimer's is so tricky, you just never know what is to come next.

He was in a group home in a perfect little neighborhood not far from my mother and my neighborhood. There is two little Asian women on staff at all times. My dad became combative when it was time for diaper changing and showers. They are too small to take control of him and he was winning the battle. Long story short, the owner asked my mom to find another place for him. We were devastated. He was in his comfort zone there and to move him would mean that he might have a set-back.

We prayed about it. My mom found a place in Mesa that specializes in dementia care. They have 10 little cottages and each cottage has 10 bedrooms. This place seems like it would be better for him. She decided it was a good place for him so we transferred him. The old place never took him outside and this new place has a green grassy courtyard that he will get to enjoy as he sits in his wheelchair and enjoys the sun on his face.

For the last 6 months my dad has had these terrible little ticks that make him clinch his teeth and tighten the muscles in his face while his eyes roll back in his head. Since he has moved to the knew place, the ticks have increased. The Dr. said they are mini seizures. It is so scary to watch him go through that. It looks so painful. They don't know why he has them. They have him on a heavier medication. It is heartbreaking.

You never know what is going to happen from day to day. Expect the unexpected with Alzheimer's disease. Each person is different how they react. It is such a cruel disease. We just want our dad back.

What Is My Purpose?

My dad is still hanging in there. I thought his Alzheimer's would keep progressing rapidly but it seems to have a plateau at this time.

My mom and I were talking the other day about my dad and how he has worked so hard his whole life. He had an identity and he had a purpose in life. He worked hard toward his goals and he completed them.

Alzheimer's is a cruel disease. What does he do now but just lay there and wait for someone to take care of him? He is helpless. It's so sad. What is the purpose?

Makes me feel like there is so much more I can do with my life to make it productive and meaningful. What is my purpose? I hope it never stops!

Thanks again for every one's support.

Mobile Phone Radiation Protects Against Alzheimer's

This sounds so crazy! What do you think about it? If it protects against Alzheimer's then why is it causing cancer?

Click here for story.

No Alzheimer's For The New Year

The holidays have come and gone and all went very well. We visited my dad on Christmas eve (we left Christmas morning to go out of town). The kids sang some carols to him and he hummed along. He was in a happy, good mood. I told him that it was Christmas and his face lit up and he said "Oh really"? It was cute. That is all he had to say. He doesn't speak much anymore.

I have been thinking about what I can do to better my health in this new year. I really can't imagine the thought of Alzheimer's over taking my mind and body one of these days. It could very well happen. It's my job to prevent that from happening. I have been looking in to krill oil and also chlorophyll through wheat grass juice. You can google it to learn about it for yourself if you'd like.

I would love to learn about any new findings or Alzheimer remedies that any of you have come up with. Let me know.

Happy New Year!

Holidays and Alzheimer's

On Thanksgiving Day my dad was not able to attend any of our family functions. We thought long and hard about how we could take him out of his home and let him go with my mom for Thanksgiving. We decided this was not a good idea. At his stage of Alzheimer's, you just don't do stuff like that anymore. It's so sad.

During the next couple of weeks we will visit with my dad and bring him little goodies and gifts but come Christmas day he will not be with any of us. We all have to travel to northern Arizona for a couple of days to be with the rest of our family and we won't be able to take my dad. We talk about it, but I really don't think it would be a good idea. I think he would freak out if we removed him for that long.

This is the sad part about Alzheimer's and the holidays. What do you do?

What Alzheimer's Language Do You Speak?

I haven't been able to see my dad for a while up until recently. I have had a cold on and off and then when I would recover one of my kids would end up sick and I was afraid I would carry that as well, so I waited until we were all well until I saw my dad again.

I visited with him the other day and I was hoping he would light up when he saw me but, of course, he did not. Although, he did look at me with an expression of love in his eyes for me. I would ask him questions and he would answer yes or no. He would actually answer correctly. If I asked him a question that required an answer other than yes or no, he would get confused and could not speak. I then realized that Alzheimer's is like learning to speak another language. It's always easier to understand the language better than it is to speak it.

Although, Alzheimer's is a cruel disease, I am also convinced that our Alzheimer's loved ones are aware and understand a lot more then we know. They just forget how to speak our language.