Showing posts with label father with alzheimer's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label father with alzheimer's. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

My Fathers Alzheimers Changed My Life

Over the past year, my life has completely changed. Before that, my life was all about working and traveling.Since 1990, I have been a Branch Manager for Budget Rental Car in the Dallas Texas area.Being able to take care of your family is all a man could ask for.My goal was to put 25 years in, then retire from that position,but continue to work part-time. I would still be young and would have the finances and freedom to do what I love to do, and that is travel.But things has changed.

In 2000,at the age of 75, my father developed Alzheimers. A disease that his father also had.My father and I took care of my Grandfather, because he didn't believe in nursing homes.

In 2006, Alzheimers took all of my father's abilities away.He could no longer do for himself.The question all of my sisters and brothers had was, what are we going to do about daddy?My mother let it be known to all of us that our father would not be placed in a home.Over the past couple years, a lot of bickering started coming between the family. Everyone felt that it wasn't right that their life had to be put on hold.  My mother, who is 80, was trying to take care of my father and it was putting a strain on her health.I could no longer sit back and watch my mother go through this.

In August 2010, I left my job in Dallas to move to Mississippi.I am now the caregiver of my parents.My mother still has all of her abilities, so she can care for herself, but age has slowed her down.I cook and clean so that she can enjoy her last days enjoying whatever she wants to do.The only thing she has told me was, stay away from her washing machine, after I turned a couple of her white sheets blue.

The first couple months was very stressful. I had no idea how much work was involved in, not only taking care a person with Alzheimers, but also another elderly person in the house.My day starts at 7a.m. and when I'm finished with everything it's 9p.m.I have no social life at all.I'm human so every now and then I ask myself, how did my life get to this point.I never question my decision because it is a joy when I'm feeding my father, he looks and me and smiles. It's as though he knows exactly who I am.I believe God has a plan for everyone life, I'm just glad I was obedient enough to answer this call.What an Honor and Priviledge!

Below you will find a real life story by John Du Preez, an Alzheimer's sufferer, who shares his hurt, pain, and frustration. His e-book brings hope to those who suffer from this horrible disease. Get this amazing e-book for the low-cost of $10.45. Click Here For Details


http://myparentalzheimers.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-can-you-give-medicine-to-spouse-or.html
http://myparentalzheimers.blogspot.com/2011/12/should-you-put-parents-or-spouse-with.html

Detecting Dementia Or Alzheimer's Symptoms In The First Stages

Before there is disaster there are always signs leading up to the event. The question is, are you paying attention to the signs.

In this articles I will give you insights on my experience with the signs of a parent with Alzheimer's.My father has had this terrible disease for over 15 years and we watch how it literally conformed our father to not being able to care for himself. The disease has run on his side of the family, passed down by his father. Four of his brothers developed this disease later in their lives and has since passed on.

When this disease first started to affect my father, we as children had no idea that what we were witnessing was an early stage of Alzheimer's.The first signs we started noticing, but didn't think nothing of it, was his forgetting where he was placing certain things.For example,he had been placing his car keys in a certain place each night before going to bed, but then started asking my mother each morning has she seen his car keys. This went on for a few days and literally was driving my mother crazy. Little did she know was that her husband mind was slipping away.


The next thing that we started noticing was how irritable he was becoming.He was snapping at us when we were trying to help him. We would have to remind him to eat or change clothes and each time we did this he became more stubborn. It's my opinion that in the early stages of this disease, the person know what is happening to them, yet has no control of where it is taking them.Losing their independence has to be rough excepting.

It is up to us to see different signs that we absolutely know is out of character for them, especially if they have been doing certain things for years, and now has no idea what or how to do them.I'm not talking about everything, but I am talking about things like bathing regularly, changing clothes, and any other thing that we know is an everyday essential.

These are some of the signs we need to pay attention to and inform our family doctors  right away, because this just may be the first signs that they are in the early stage of Alzheimer's.

If you have any comments that may help anyone that may read this article, please do so.

Below you will find a real life story by an Alzheimer's sufferer, who shares his frustration,hurt, and pain. His e-book brings hope for those who suffer from this terrible disease. Get this amazing e-book for the one time cost of $10.45. Click Here For Details


Email address: cedricterrell@ymail.com

http://myparentalzheimers.blogspot.com/2011/12/my-fathers-alzheimers-changed-my-life.html
http://myparentalzheimers.blogspot.com/2011/12/how-can-you-give-medicine-to-spouse-or.html
http://myparentalzheimers.blogspot.com/2011/12/should-you-put-parents-or-spouse-with.html