Wednesday, January 25, 2017

More Drama

Just two months ago I wrote about my father and Alzheimers.  This last few days the situation has changed again ~ and I write about it now only because I am a writer and this is how my peculiar therapy works.

The home where we put my father has been increasingly having trouble with his condition.  It isn't just a matter of his disappearing from the "house" where he has been living since November, which has happened a couple of times ~ it is also that he has become increasingly violent and, well, the real truth of it is psychotic.

Starting with Friday, he was moved out of the facility and into the hospital, first into the care ward and from there into the psychiatric ward, where he has been under restraint since Saturday.  At this point, he is beyond communication.  We are told that he is convinced that this is all a plot to end his life.  We are also told that he believes he is living in the year 2046 and that, apparently, some science fiction book he has read at some point in his life is fueling his paranoia.

There are simply no words.  The facility where he was living has let it be known that he won't be able to go back there.  He will need to be placed into a more severe facility.  At the moment, there are none available; this means he will be put on a waiting list.  However, he needs to be fully assessed before even the waiting list can be a possibility ~ and whatever the case, he may be forced to spend the rest of his life under restraint, whatever happens.

This whole final act of my father's life ~ a man who was an outstanding professional in his field, who received more than twenty awards of service and recognition, who was once the president of the Canadian National Science Fair, because he enjoyed science and the education of children, is right now screaming in a closed room about . . . nonsense.

So.  I'm just working on my equilibrium right now.  It is a difficult time.

9 comments:

  1. My father passed away last Thursday, due to a vicious melanoma. It reduced one of the greatest civil engineers in California to a near catatonic state just one month after the meds stopped working. He went from being simply sick but able to being unable to even move himself in just the last week of his life. My mom is 82 and now dependent on her kids for company. She is progressing toward Alzheimer's to an increasing clip, and we have started to see the paranoia that can be associated with it. Even as I put my father in the ground tomorrow, I know that there are difficult times ahead.
    I am hopeful for some kind of break with your father. I hate that this condition is still so hard to treat properly. May you and your family be able to find comfort in this situation sooner than later. My blessings.

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  2. I have had similar experiences with a family member and can understand some of what's happening, Alexis. It's shocking and scary in a way that is hard to describe, no matter how peculiar and imperfect your family situation was before the break with reality. I think you know how to contact me if you need to reach out to a sympathetic soul.

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  3. I'm so sorry, Alexis. Diseases that attack the mind are the most unfair when they turn the sufferer into an enemy of their own best care. I wish you well. Make sure that you take care of yourself.

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  4. I too have been recently dealing with my grandfather drastically losing a lot of his mobility and mental faculty after working as a chemical engineer his whole life, and the ensuing medical debacle of trying different treatments and searching for some kind of cure or palliative. It's incredibly bizarre and, as James put it, very hard to describe, but especially wrenching to see someone lose grasp over whatever we consider their self. I wish you well during this time.

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  5. I am really sorry, Alexis. My grandmother also has Alzheimer's, and it has been heartbreaking to see her in such a different state every visit. If you need someone to listen, please feel free to find me.

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  6. You've got my sympathies as well. There are no doubts that you'll pull through, and though it may not amount to much, you've got all of our support.

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  7. I'm so sorry to hear this Alexis. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

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  8. I thank you all, but rest assured I'm fine. It has been upsetting having to deal with my brother and sister, more so for my daughter than for me, and it would be nice to think about something else for a bit.

    I'm getting the campaigns moving again today. They've had a hiatus for four or five days.

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  9. Do what's best for you, if anything I'm patient.

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