... 1,411 Posted October 14, 2014 Report Share Posted October 14, 2014 Dementia is a horrible condition quite often affecting people that have had a very reponsible career and in fact all range of backgrounds,but trying to communicate with a loved one with dementia is so sad .wandering without purpose and the confusion they endure ,non recognition of people they have always held so dear,so very sad to witness. 1 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tomlinson 879 Posted October 14, 2014 Report Share Posted October 14, 2014 The curious thing about dementia/Alzheimer's is that it seems to be a fairly modern concern. While there's no doubt that both conditions have existed for years before they were properly identified, the numbers of sufferers today is truly frightening. Are we looking at a cause in modern life? Pollution perhaps? 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ayupmeducks 1,730 Posted October 14, 2014 Report Share Posted October 14, 2014 Aluminium has beent attributed as one major cause of the high numbers seen today. That's been known for well over 30 years. It accumalates in the brain, no idea what damage it causes, but is classed as a "heavy metal" in the same catagory as lead, arsenic, cadmium etc.. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Limey 242 Posted October 14, 2014 Report Share Posted October 14, 2014 Interesting that aluminium (or aluminum) oxides are used in some antacids (Maalox and Mylanta in the USA for example)! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mary1947 2,079 Posted October 14, 2014 Report Share Posted October 14, 2014 My mum had dementia I was her carer, each Saturday morning I would set her hair, the hardest thing was she knew something was happening to her but it was even harder for me when she used to ask me what was happening to her and I could not explain. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
... 1,411 Posted October 14, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2014 Must have been very difficult for you Mary,I know how difficult it is . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ayupmeducks 1,730 Posted October 14, 2014 Report Share Posted October 14, 2014 #4, and as addatives in food products too, not counting vaccines Eric, but asbestos manufacturers got away with their products knowing full well they killed and maimed for nearly a century, then tobacco industry was in denial for how many years. Like I say, it's been known for well over 30 years Eric. Here's a Telegraph article, when I saw it I said to the wife, this Professor is 30 years behind the times. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/11159812/Aluminium-poisoning-may-trigger-Alzheimers-disease-claims-professor.html Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Michael Booth 7,364 Posted October 14, 2014 Report Share Posted October 14, 2014 Like everyone else, I've heard about dementia but never really looked into it because it's never effected anybody who is close to me. I've just been onto the NHS site and read their article. It states that there's 800,000 people in the UK who suffer from demensia so you can believe that there's a lot more than that. I've attached the NHS article. http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/dementia-guide/pages/about-dementia.aspx Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveN 1,118 Posted October 14, 2014 Report Share Posted October 14, 2014 The day before my mother died (in hospital) she didn't recognise me but she did her half sister. I don't know whether this would have been classed as dementia or not but I'll always remember it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NewBasfordlad 3,599 Posted October 14, 2014 Report Share Posted October 14, 2014 Before her retirement SWMBO worked for NCC at a home in Bestwood specifically for people with dementia, she still volunteers there now. The tales she tells vary from horrific to down right funny, I particularly like the escape stories. The home has all sorts of security but some off the residents would put the guys from Colditz to shame. Any opportunity and they are off, like the little old lady found sitting among the spring flowers at Woodthorpe Park less than 30 minutes after getting away, no one herself included has any idea how she covered the distance in such a short time. After that a member of staff would take her there by car every few days and that seemed to cure her wonder lust. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
katyjay 5,091 Posted October 14, 2014 Report Share Posted October 14, 2014 I have come across a few friends who have someone close to them with dementia/Alzheimer's, and they all have said the same thing. The person with the affliction is really nasty to the relative closest to them, and nice as pie to everyone else. They can't help it, but it's upsetting to the one looking after them. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MelissaJKelly 2,121 Posted October 14, 2014 Report Share Posted October 14, 2014 #2 - Tomlinson, is dementia really a modern concern or is it just because we hear about it much more nowadays as opposed to people not being 100% sure what it even was previously? I'm sure a long time ago people were considered 'mad' if they had dementia and were probably locked away in an institute of some sort. 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Michael Booth 7,364 Posted October 14, 2014 Report Share Posted October 14, 2014 That's a good thought, Melissa and I agree. It must have been horrible for them in days gone by. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MelissaJKelly 2,121 Posted October 14, 2014 Report Share Posted October 14, 2014 Must have been Michael, in that respect, I'm glad I didn't live in that day and age, although I'm sure the government wasn't trying to keep the population down back then! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
darkazana 1,736 Posted October 14, 2014 Report Share Posted October 14, 2014 My grandma had Alzheimers in the days before it was recognised as such. It was very difficult for us all as a family as she lived next door to us so we were regarded as her carers with no other help offered. She would wander off, even in the snow wearing very little, she was incontinent usually in our house as she would come across when she needed the toilet. She fed the birds by putting whole loaves of bread out and so attracting rats, and she managed to set fire to her house. The only way we had any help was when she fell and broke her hip on one of her wanders in the snow. Then Grandma was admitted to hospital and never came out. I remember going to see her when I was expecting my first baby and she was calling Dad by any name but his own, but when I told her I was expecting she turned to my Dad and said as lucidly as anything, "Well you'll be a granddad then William" Then off she went again singing to herself. I don't know whether it was caused by Grandma using aluminium pans, but she was also subject to electric shock treatment as a younger woman, when she was suffering from what is now known as post natal depression, and was never really the same after that, I am told. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MelissaJKelly 2,121 Posted October 14, 2014 Report Share Posted October 14, 2014 That is so tragic to hear Darkazana, can't even imagine what it must have been like for you. ECT has proven to have had some very nasty and longstanding side effects but was common practice in days gone by! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Michael Booth 7,364 Posted October 14, 2014 Report Share Posted October 14, 2014 katyjay (#11), your post will be a comfort to DaveN (#9). 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mary1947 2,079 Posted October 15, 2014 Report Share Posted October 15, 2014 so sorry to hear about your grandma darkazana. I would like to add a bit more about my mum I knew something was not quite right about her so I took her to see her doctor, he asked all kind of question's who's prime minister, count backwards from a 100, what day month year is it ect. she was able to answer all question's, on leaving the doc's she turned to me and said " that quack thinks I'm daft" well what could I say! A while after this she moved up to live near me in a warden complex, she would always have a smile for you, she was never violent just always happy. She did get worse as her condition progressed, I made it that on her phone she only had 3 button's to press, 1 me 2 my brother 3 doctor. One day the phone went mum was on the line, there coming to get me! who mum? there coming to get me! I'll be there in five minutes I told her. When I arrived the ??? what was coming to get her was the TV. When leaving it on stand by it was the red light that was coming to get her. The following week she asked me what that thing in the corner was for now this was a person who had taught me to cook from being very young. Its the cooker mum! what do I use it for she asked? up till now she had always looked after her self. As mum got worse I had to think of myself and family so I looked at about 20 homes and finely found one who would take her and look after her till the end. I could not praise the home enough also the social worker who went with me every step of the way. At the home the staff adored her because she always had a smile for them. So sometimes maybe dementia is not quite as bad as we make out, don't take this the wrong way as some people can be quite violent with the condition I was just glad that mum was as she was. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
... 1,411 Posted October 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2014 I started this post because some people that are in caring roles sometimes feel unsupported and at times isolated and lonely,communication when youre a carer is not always easy for various reasons but sometimes it does help to speak to others.I have nothing but admiration for any one that takes on a caring role,but it is vital that guilty feelings we naturally feel do not overtake reality,and reality is sometimes caring can be a 24hour role and nobody under any circumstances should be subjected to that kind of pressure and it is a subject we should raise with our children whilst we can discuss It with a clear mind,so we don't burden our kids in the future. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
darkazana 1,736 Posted October 15, 2014 Report Share Posted October 15, 2014 It is awful to watch the ones you love going through this slow process of degeneration and all we can do is be there to support them and each other. Thank goodness it is now recognised and support is there in varying forms. Perhaps through the darkest hours it helps to remember the good times and remind ourselves that they were not always like this. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
notty ash 370 Posted October 15, 2014 Report Share Posted October 15, 2014 My mum has dementure too. Thankfully, she can still cope with many things and is still pleasant to those around her. She still lives on her own in a sheltered flat. I visit her regularly to check she is OK, help with shopping and take her out. The specialist doctor she sees every 6 months seems quite happy with these arrangements for the moment. The biggest problem so far is her short term memory loss and the loss of organisational skills. Sorting out the contents of her fridge and cupboards is a constant battle, as she panic buys things she has already got plenty of. Generally, she only eats the latest food, leaving the rest to fester in the fridge. I make sure she keeps important appointments. She is afraid to go very far, even to places where she has regularly been in the past. She just forgets where she is and struggles to work out how to get home. The Alzheimer's Society provides dementia support and advice, if any carer needs help or advice. We need to think about ourselves and future generations too - not just the people who already have dementure. Many people seem to be very fatalistic about it, assuming it is bound to happen to them eventually. I have read up quite a lot on the causes and symptoms of dementure. Research suggests that regular exercise and plenty of sleep can be a big help. I do a lot of long-distance walking. I also welcome any excuse for a lie-in in a morning! It may or may not help me, but at least I feel I am being positive about it. 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Limey 242 Posted October 15, 2014 Report Share Posted October 15, 2014 It was noticed by a group called AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilot's Association) a number of years ago that active pilots did not seem to suffer from age related mental illness as often as the general population. Some research has been done on this and as Richard noted above, it has been found that people who stay both physically and mentally active are less prone to such issues. AOPA noted that pilots tend to be more physically active in general, but also to fly requires maintaining a level of mental activity somewhat above the norm. Interestingly, the AARP (American Association for Retired People) has noted the same effect in people who are avid crossword players! Bottom line - keep both your mind and your body active! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bilbraborn 1,594 Posted October 15, 2014 Report Share Posted October 15, 2014 My wife was carer for her uncle for five years and one of his problems was dementia. As he also had problems walking, we didn't have a problem with him going out by himself. It is an evil disease. It was a blessing when he died. My dad had a sound mind until about a year before he died. He started losing it and we think it was caused by a bad fall. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
... 1,411 Posted October 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2014 Certainly a large number I have worked with were intelligent professional people ,which could be related. to stress,however if they knew the cause ,perhaps they would find a cure,for our children and grandchildren lets hope so. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Compo 10,328 Posted October 15, 2014 Report Share Posted October 15, 2014 Dementia is a horrible condition quite often affecting people that have had a very reponsible career and in fact all range of backgrounds,but trying to communicate with a loved one with dementia is so sad .wandering without purpose and the confusion they endure ,non recognition of people they have always held so dear,so very sad to witness. used to be known as Senile Dedmentia. My great gran, gran and mother all suffered from it - my sister wonders if she will get it next. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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