"Ema Nymton" > wrote in message
...
> On 4/5/2013 11:13 AM, notbob wrote:
>> On 2013-04-05, jmcquown > wrote:
>>
>>> Yes, everyone should make a donation.
>>
>> Do as you will, but I wouldn't give them a penny.
>>
>> Sounds harsh, but I've had much experience with both national and
>> local chapters of the Alzy Assoc. They are long on sympathy --which
>> sometimes provides short term relief to the caregiver-- but woefully
>> short on real help. I've received little, if any, actual usable
>> help/info from AA. I've actually had to correct misonceptions held by
>> the online help staff. I no longer even bother contacting them.
>>
>> Here's a fact I didn't learn from AA. There are two basic kinds of
>> dementia. (Alheimers is only one form of dementia and can't be 100%
>> diagnosed except by autopsy). Rapid and slow onset. My mom has slow.
>> She's been in 2nd stage dementia for at least 4 yrs. My father, who
>> died last month, had rapid. I was talking to him often on the phone
>> as recently as 9 mos ago. His advance was so rapid, I talked to him
>> on the phone one day, 3 days later he passed. A close friend's father
>> passed the same way. He forgot how to swallow and so essentially
>> starved to death. He went from able to drive a car to deceased, over
>> the relatively short period of about 2 yrs.
>>
>> If it makes you feel better to donate to AA, do it. It's my opinion
>> the money would be better spent on helping a patient and/or their
>> caregiver to cope with this unfortunate disease.
>>
>> I pick mom up from the nursing home, Sunday. She broke her arm and
>> has been in a nursing home for PT for the last three weeks. The pain
>> meds turned her into a zombie. Hopefully, she'll regain some mental
>> acuity when she returns home. If not, I will be escalating into a
>> whole new level of care, providing I can manage. We'll see.
>>
>> Hang in there, Alan. You are not alone.
>>
>> nb
>
> How can anyone cope with something like this, and it happened to both of
> your parents, not one, but both. How overwhelming.

Overwhelming indeed
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