[IgnoranceIsBliss]

There is a remote possibility that it could be something called "CJD" (Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease ) which strikes right around that age. It causes similar symptoms to alzheimers (in fact, some of the supposed alzheimers patients actually have CJD instead). My mother-in-law has it.

Does he have any visual disturbances (seeing floaters or spots)?
How about problems with walking?
Hallucinations?

You can find more info with an Internet search. It usually progresses very quickly and is fatal within 6-12 months from onset of symptoms.

I hope your family is able to find some peace soon.

[Ludi]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('IgnoranceIsBliss', 'T')here is a remote possibility that it could be something called "CJD" (Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease ) which strikes right around that age. It causes similar symptoms to alzheimers (in fact, some of the supposed alzheimers patients actually have CJD instead). My mother-in-law has it.

Does he have any visual disturbances (seeing floaters or spots)?
How about problems with walking?
Hallucinations?

You can find more info with an Internet search. It usually progresses very quickly and is fatal within 6-12 months from onset of symptoms.

I hope your family is able to find some peace soon.

[threadbear]

My poor mother continues to worsen. It's some form of dementia, probably rapid vascular dementia. We could encourage her to have all kinds of tests to further clarify, but she has had 2 mri's and the results are inconclusive. She's 80 and her mother went through a very similar decline.

None of us want her to have to make the rounds of more doctors, because it just scares her all the more. The hardest part is the extreme aphasia. She is frightened and can't tell us exactly why, we have to almost guess, and we can't reassure her easily, as she doesn't understand what we're saying. She is very afraid we are planning to put her in a "facility", which she called a "fill" (At first I thought she maybe meant a land fill, and was really upset that she thought we might do that!) Communication has become a mine field of confusion, occasionally it can be kind of funny, and I firmly believe that you HAVE to laugh, whenever you can, as it makes it easier.

I agree with Blu, if you're making preps and have older parents, please try to find a place for them in those plans. My father knows he is welcome to live with us if Mom predeceases him and that's about the best I can do, at this point.

[emeraldg40]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('threadbear', 'M')y poor mother continues to worsen. It's some form of dementia, probably rapid vascular dementia. We could encourage her to have all kinds of tests to further clarify, but she has had 2 mri's and the results are inconclusive. She's 80 and her mother went through a very similar decline.

None of us want her to have to make the rounds of more doctors, because it just scares her all the more. The hardest part is the extreme aphasia. She is frightened and can't tell us exactly why, we have to almost guess, and we can't reassure her easily, as she doesn't understand what we're saying. She is very afraid we are planning to put her in a "facility", which she called a "fill" (At first I thought she maybe meant a land fill, and was really upset that she thought we might do that!) Communication has become a mine field of confusion, occasionally it can be kind of funny, and I firmly believe that you HAVE to laugh, whenever you can, as it makes it easier.

I agree with Blu, if you're making preps and have older parents, please try to find a place for them in those plans. My father knows he is welcome to live with us if Mom predeceases him and that's about the best I can do, at this point.

[threadbear]

Thanks so much, Emerald! Great advice. My mother actually refuses all medication now, with the exception of her blood pressure meds, so that's not a problem. My concern with the blood pressure meds is that there is a possibility that the very elderly are encouraged to keep their pressures as low as a 20 or 30 year old, when they may need increased pressures for proper circulation. I have read some supporting medical info about this, but not enough to suggest she go off that particular medication because I'm not a chemist, a research scientist, or etc... and don't want her to have a massive stroke, based on my assumptions. There is some very interesting, possibly correlative information about Alzheimer's and people who have naturally low blood pressure. (This is all what I've learned online, so consider the source) Apparently it's common for these victims to have a history of lower than normal blood pressure. This could be a potential factor in the cause of this disease, I think, or it could be seen simply as a result of living long enough, due to lower pressures. If you live long enough, your chances, of course vastly increase. People over 80 have a one in four chance of expressing the symptoms of alzheimers.

There is some evidence too that CJD and alzheimer's may be linked, though alzheimer's is a slow process and CJD is pretty quick.

[Pretorian]

What happens here with old people with age-related mental issues and without kids who want to take care of them ? Loss of property /pension/savnigs? What?