Comments about ‘There is life after diagnosis, Holladay woman with Alzheimer's learns’

What an amazing way to approach the difficult journey ahead of the Romney's. Thanks for sharing.

Alzheimer's does not only effect the person who has it, and their primary caretaker, it also takes a toll on the rest of the family. Seek help early. Establish a Long Term health policy prior to anything happening. It is so important, as care in the latter stages is horribly expensive.

My Father has advanced dimentia. He is 96 years old and lives with me. I often wonder what he thinks, what he is capable of doing, etc. I wish Kathryn would establish a blog to tell us caretakers how she feels and thinks. My Father seems to have no interest in doing anything except read the newspaper (and sometimes a large-print book) for hours and hours or watch Western movies on my television (the same movie over and over) for hours on end. IS he capable of doing anything else, does he WANT to do anything else? What else can I do for him? (He does take the two medications available for dimentia, and has been taking them for a little more than a year now.)

If you're going to do something financially, you need to do it at least 5 years in advance. One of the most helpful ways to deal with Alzheimer's as a caregiver is to learn validation therapy. If not used, can lead to a lot of frustrating moments. Alzheimer's peels a person's personality like an onion to reveal the true essence. Any issues left unresolved while a person had the means to deal with it are going to bubble up and be a persistant thorn with no way to resolve it once the capacity is lost. Its almost like a metaphor for the "repent now before its too late" philosophy. I have seen some (some) act just as dignified and kind with Alzheimer's, even to the end, as without it, revealing that there was no difference in their private and public persona. It seems that this wonderful lady is dealing with her issues in a productive way that will be of great benefit to her family and herself when the dementia worsens.