OT my dad
 

I have a question for some of my fellow board members. I have a problem and can't find a solution to it. I spent the last week visiting with my dad. He lives in a different state by himself. It's very obvious that his memory is failing him. His long term memory is excellent, but his short term memory is shot. For example; he'll ask you the same question 3 times in 5 minutes. I'd like to have the doctor check him to see if there is something that could be treated. I can't ask him to see the doctor because there is absolutely no way he would remember. When I was down there, I dug around and found a doctor name and number, but it was for a optometrist. They wouldn't tell me his physican name. I asked them to call the physician for me and they refused to. I really don't want to go to my dad and tell him my concerns-what if they are unfounded? What should I do?

Cord,

Very sorry to hear about your dad's unfortunate condition. Sounds much like dimensia. My wife's great grandmother had it. Some of the things they say and do will make you laugh beyond belief. If in fact that is the case, something to be concerned about is them getting lost and not knowing how to get home. Talk to some siblings (yours or his if still alive)or his friends that he may have shared this information with. It may be a good place to start. Best wishes.

sorry about your dad cord.

see if you can get him to agree to have a physical.
tell the doc your concerns before hand.

here is what we did for a friends Dad, we told him we were going to the Mall but had to stop by the Hospital to see a friends baby. It worked because half the battle is getting them there. If you can reason with him, which may be hard now, you can explain that if he does not do this he will either find himself lost, without a drivers license or taken advantage of because he is lost. Just let him know this is serious and if he wants to live on his own, out of an institution, he has to comply. Good luck but persistence pays off in these matters, that and an intervention from family will set his mind at ease and get him fixed up.

Well, I just spent the last hour on the phone. It turns out there is a small clinic in the town where he lives. This is surprising because it's such a small town. Actually, it's a tiny town. The local hospital gave me their number and sure enough, they've treated him. In fact, they know him on a first name basis. The nurse said that she would get him to come in for a check up. She also said that this could be a symptom of anemia which they've treated him for in the past. Gaud I love small towns. Where else could you call a clinic and have the nurse know your dad and be willing to bring him in? Everybody else wouldn't even tell me if he was their patent.

Cord, very sorry to hear that.Be careful in this cold weather, I had a neighbor that got confused and lost. By the time we found him he had gotten pretty bad frostbite.

Gotta love the small town!!! Hope everything works out for you and your Dad.:)

Cord I hope it all works out for the best....sounds like between you and the local clinic he's in good hands.

Tim, best of luck with your Dad :). Nice to know that the Son cares about his Dad..not all families are like that.

Keep up the good work even if it is overwhelming

Jeff

That's what we are secretly fearing. I'm praying that it's only anemia, but I doubt it. I've seen the end result and it's not pretty. I couldn't deal with it. You've seen it a couple times, is this how it starts?

Cord,
I hope it all works out for the best and it isnt Alzheimers. It can be a very demanding road to follow if it is. I watched my grandmother, my dad, his two brothers and one sister go this route. It seems to start with forgeting and not reconizing people, but when they can't find their way home, it is getting serious. I never had first hand knowledge of the beginings, just the progression. But dont jump to conclusions!! Find out from the clinic what the problem is, then map a road to follow. You think that you cant deal with it, but you love him enough to be concerned now and you will do what you have to do in order to care for him! It is the natural order for us to give back what our parents gave us and then some..
I hope it turns out to be just a diet or vitamin defecency..

Good luck and keep us posted..

Dick

Sorry to hear about what your going through. My grandmother is suffering from dimensia right now. She has been taking medications for it but she is progressively getting worse. Hopefully its early enough you can get him on medication and at least slow up the process. Good luck with it. If you need anything, let me know.

I also went through Alzheimer's with my father from begining to end. I have learned a lot and and you can e-mail me or call anytime and I will share my experiences. Don't assume it is Alzheimer's yet but do what you can to get him examined.

[email protected]

Roby

I forgot but wanted to mention his reasons for not wanting to go may be because he may be in fear of having a problem. You can approach him in a matter such as like "I will do this for you if you see the doctor". That is what I had to do.

Roby

Tim, sorry to hear about your dad. Best of luck,
Mark and Amy

Thanks for all the support guys! Right now it's just a wait and see. With patient confidality and all, I'll never know if it's something significant or not. My dad would have to tell me. The nurse did promise to call me back if she wasn't able to get him in. Thank god for small towns.

Cord I would think the nurse or the doc should talk to you on his condition.On patient confidality I would think it would not apply to the you being the son.Good luck with your dad . I am sure the docs can fix him up.
Rob

I had an appointment with my doc today. I was going over some family history and the topic of the new patient confidentiality laws came up. Apparently the docs are in a really tough spot. The fines are not covered under their malpractice insurance and he said that it was 10-15k per occurance! He said they could be cited for even a misdirected fax! Confidentiality is a wonderful thing, but has it gone too far?

Cord,

Try to communicate with the hospital, clinic, Dr. Office and especially the nurse. Small towns are generally less conventional than Metropolitan Cities. Robyw1 statement holds alot of truth. There are several medical conditions which can lead to the short term memory loss you have referred to. When the certain organs are not functioning optimaly waste products produced may not be evacuated from the body properly, such as your bladder or kidneys. The body identifies with this waste as a toxin and can cause some of the symptoms you are describing. My point is, that there are several coditions that may be causing this memory lapse. Stay in touch with and communicate with all involved, including your father. Don't think negatively a be be prpared to see it thru...regardless!

We will be thinking of you both.

Julie