Dementia Support Thread - For anyone who is suffering from or if had family members and friends who suffered from a form of Dementia (Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, etc.)

[Matzo Nazi]

I have so many stories that haunt me and weigh heavy on my mind. Aging sucks.

Worked in the same field for nearly a decade, it fucking sucked and was some of the most depressing work I ever did. Had the exact same experience as you and many similar, solidified my plan to end it on a beach with a gun if I ever get diagnosed with dementia. Had a 103 year old women bawl her eyes out because "I just don't understand why God hadn't taken me yet, he took my kids and all my friends and family first". Needed a few drinks that night.

 

[grump]

The best thing people can do for a real solution is to lobby for increased research. We are just starting to get serious about finding out the mechanisms behind stuff like Alzheimer's. The first therapies that attempt to treat the actual disease process are starting to roll out. Its of limited effectiveness but there is some promise in its effects. A lot of the hold up is for decades we didn't really understand anything and then once we started understanding some of the process drug companies simply went for the lowest hanging fruit without full comprehension. With some more funding of basic research and focused effort on some basic research a breakthrough in the near future is very possible.

 

[Aunt Carol]

Had the exact same experience as you and many similar, solidified my plan to end it on a beach with a gun if I ever get diagnosed with dementia.

A little off-topic but this is why I feel 1. the USA needs a couple years of mandatory service and 2. one of the options should be working as a CNA.

Every thinkpiece you read about dementia, caregiving or the dying process starts with "I totally had no clue things were like this!!"

The only way to get people to plan ahead, and to get LTC reform legislation to pass, is for the understanding to spread.