A few Questions about Alzheimers Disease

[Denise]

Please bear with me if some of these questions have been asked before. I did try to google it and search these forums but I kept getting confused and forgetting what questions I was wanting to ask (there is so much information and it's very new to me).

What I wanted to ask was:

If you have early onset AD and there a drugs that can delay it, can these drugs delay it for a long time? Like for 20 years for example? Is that ever possible?

Is it possible that the diagnosis is ever wrong? I ask because my aunt had a car accident and a head injury and while in hospital (for the head injury) she had a brain aneurysm. The symptoms of AD came at about the same time. She'd been acting a little strangely for about 2 years (since she was forty eight) but we just thought she was eccentric and it just seems like a bit of a co-incidence to me that they diagnosed her with AD straight after a head trauma. The severe confusion and memory loss only really kicked in after her surgery to remove the brain aneurysm, about a month after the car accident.

I'm so sorry to ask this..... but when a person dies of AD. How is that possible? I thought AD affected the mind not the body? I don't understand that. I will try and google it more tonight but I get so emotional that I can't take in what I'm reading half the time and it upsets me too much.

and finally,

She has started calling me in the night and asking about her parents (who died 12 years ago). Is it ok if I don't tell her that they died? I don't want to lie to her but it's horrible news (that your parents have died) and it's bad enough to hear it once in a lifetime without having to hear it many times. Is it ok if I say 'they're fine.' and change the subject?

Thank you so much.

Denise
X

[Marcus]

Yes the disease takes from 3- 20 years to run it's course.Some lasting 3 years ,some 20.No way of telling how long they will last.
Yes the diagnosis could be wrong...but with a severe head injury with brain damage it could mimic Alzheimer's.Alzheimer's is brain damage.So since your brain tells your body everything. It is like you forget to eat or how to swallow..forget how to walk, talk, go to the bathroom, and finally breathe.
And Yes It is okay to lie to keep from breaking her heart.This is very common.If you tell them Your Parents have been dead for forty years.They are just learning again for the first time to them that their parents are dead.You should not make up stories of like seeing them just yesterday or what not but like you say change the subject to keep her calm...calm is good.It is call the 3 Rs Redirect Reassure and Repeat...
Redirect is change the subject.Reassure is to tell her everything is okay. Nothing to worry about,Its all good.And Repeat.Repeat the redirecting and the reassuring Because you might of change the subject but she has not.Sometimes we have to lie.Sometimes.Thanks for your interest.HUGS Marcus

[Marcus]

The Alzheimer's Association has a Brain Tour that shows how the brain works and the effects of Alzheimer's on the brain. http://www.alz.org/brain/01.asp

[SRiley]

It is hard to watch a loved one progressively develop Alzheimer's Disease. The disease slowly progresses so that a person loses all senses and memories, even the ability to perform involuntary responses such as breathing. If your aunt is at home and needs care, I know of an excellent home care service - AmericanOutComes. They have a full team of doctors, nurses and a 24-hour pharmacy which can provide the health care that is needed. You can read about the new IVIG treatment for Alzheimer's patients. http://www.americanoutcomes.com/ivig-therapy.php