I've recently found out a relative has been diagnosed with Dementia?

Question

what does this mean for her & her family??

She has been prescribed drugs for now, but told to get her business in order..

Answer 1

Dementia can be arguably as hard on the family as it is on the sufferer.  I would advise speaking with a professional and reading up on good websites such as http://www.alz.co.uk/carers/ so you can understand the condition, which will help you cope with it.

Answer 2

I am so sorry to hear this ,it is always devastating news.I am in the same situation with my mom and I am a nurse so I thought it may be easier because of my experience but I was wrong.Getting her business in order should bo number one on the list,I took my Mom to a lawyer before she got really bad and had her make out her will and appoint me as her Power of Attorney - which means I control all of her money, investments,medical issues .anything she is involved in.I was also made her Health Care Proxy which means if she is unable to make medical decisons for herself I am empowered to do that for her.Also, She wanted to be a DNR which means "Do Not Resusitate"  this means if something happens to her and she would normally need Cpr or and intubation to live she does not want one,she wants only Care and Comfort .

This means she will only get symptom relief that would not prolong her life.The family will have to put in place someone to care for her and decide if a nursing home or other type of facility  will be needed.Tell them to make sure they do a very good inspection if they choose this option.My Mom has moderate to severe dementia.We have 1 woman that comes in Mon - Fri for one hour to give her a shower,my daughter and her boyfriend shower her on the weekends.I cannot do it due to a bad back.There are always problems coming up,tell them to be prepared have them check into day care programs and become familiar with Elder Service agencies in your area,they can help you through the maze of legalities and care options.I also found it is very important for my Mom to be able to socialize but we have found out the hard way that her friends have fallen like flies.Visit her often and try not to take it to heart if she says something you thought she never would.My best advice to your friends would be -take care of yourselves ,a lot, because you won't be  able to care for your parents if you are not up to par.My Mom lives downsatira from me in my house so that helps a bit but can be overwhelming at times.Good Luck!

Answer 3

It's not nice but she will slowly get more and more confused and the regress to a child like state and think that people are there when they are not she will also have times when she seems to get better or better than she was you just need treasurer these times and the time you have left sorry to be the barer of bad news

Answer 4

I'm sorry to hear that Mrs S, I'm not familiar with the illness, may your family find the strength to move forward, unity is very important at this time it maybe over whelming but God will bless you..  

Answer 5

The medications for dementia are getting better all the time, so maybe it won't be so bad.

At first your relative will be affected and depressed I would imagine, just knowing that she is going to lose her ability to function and look after herself. However, once it 'kicks in' (unless drugs become available to prevent this) it will be the family who suffer most. it is very difficult to keep caring about and loving someone who, at best, thinks you are a total stranger or, at worst, thinks you are out to murder them.

Sad for you all.

Answer 6

I'm so sorry to hear this, the reason she has been told to get her business in order is that she probably wont be able to do it in the future, it affects your mind and memory and she may need help with everyday things, sufferers have been known not to even recognise close relatives!! they can suffer personality changes too and become quite aggressive and unpredictable!!  Its very sad, my Gran had it, although it was quite mild, but quite heartbreaking to see her like that.

Answer 7

found this but there is a lot of info on the net, they discover new things everyday, like a special diet to slow down the process.

its sad so many young people nowadays get a kind of dementia, because of having alcohol on a very young age,

my advice is be kind to them sometimes they get angry for no reason and you want to walk away, but its a part of the disease

take care, (and don't forget to laugh cause the disease makes them do crazy things, you never would expect from that person)

live can be very hard for people who take care of someone who has dementia (sometimes its worse for them than for the patient)

http://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/script...

Answer 8

I'm very sorry to hear that Mrs S!!!

Doesn't sound very good!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dementia

Answer 9

On the Scottish news a couple of weeks ago it said there was a new drug that could seriously delay the effects of Alzheimers and Dementia, I'm not sure when this will be available but it's apparently going to be a big help.

My gran had Alzheimers, and it would have been great to have something that could have at least slowed the effects of Alzheimers.

Here's a link to some details of the new drug

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rember