"W. Baker" > wrote in message
...
> In alt.support.diabetes Bj?rn Steensrud >
> wrote:
> : wrote:
>
>
> : A recent newspaper article here said that about 5% of all dementia
> patients
> : in this country suffered from raised pressure in the brain. Upon
> diagnosis
> : they underwent an operation where a drain was inserted -and all dementia
> : symptoms disappeared. "Adult hydrocephalus", unknown and unsuspected in
> : most cases, and completely curable.
>
> that is wonderful news. Too bad htat it is such a low percent of
> dementias. I wonder, however, if it might have helped my Mother as her
> over 9 years of decline may well not have been altzheimers as she had some
> partial recovery of memory in her very last days. She ws once agian able
> to recognize the names of dear ones adn kind of grunt as I told her what
> was going on with them. this was actually, a few days befor she died adn
> I alwasy though that hearign that all was well with her sisters,
> grandchildren, etc, enabled her to go in peace. She just slept away in
> the night.
My dad goes back and forth. There will be times when he can't remember how
to use his cell phone and times when he hasn't a clue how to play a game.
Then other days he seems like his old self.
One of the worst times recently was when he asked us to stay while he ate
dinner so we could finish the game we were playing. He had to use the
bathroom so wheeled himself into his room three times! Each time he got
there, he forgot why he went in there. We didn't know so kept sending him
back to eat. He'd get back to the table and remember. Finally after the
third time we had to start grilling him as to why he was coming in.
What gets me is what must go on or not go on when we are not there. There
is one caretaker who barely speaks any English. And from what I have seen,
when he does call someone to help him, he invariably forgets why. He seems
to be concentrating so much on remembering their name. So he will say
"Hello _____!" And then they will ask him if he wants something. He will
always say that he doesn't. Then they leave. I've never seen anyone there
question him as to why he rang his buzzer. It's sad.