aging parents....a semi success story

[strollingbones]

a few of you know i have had some concerns with my parent..memory loss etc...this has been going on for a while....i finally got pro active...and called her pcp....who realized she had not had a full exam in over a year...he calls her in for exam....he does all he can do and refers her to a neurologist...now this all sounds easy right? well lets weave in here...conversations where parent is yelling "i am not going to a doctor to be told i am crazy" ...her pcp is all over my ass to be more involved ...to come to doctors visits etc...i try to find out when parent is going...parent changes appts etc...them crazy old people are crafty let me tellz ya....

but to bottom line this....crazy parent who could not remember anything and would ask same question every 5 minutes.....is now on meds for memory...and they are working....
i have my parent back....of course i wished crazy parent would have gone earlier but parent didnt....it took really getting bad ...before parent would agree to anything....5 weeks ago ..i had appts with "early retirement centers" i dont care what you call them...they are nursing homes and warehouses...yesterday i had a 15 minutes conversation with parent...no repeating...its amazing....

so if you got one...crazy parent....dont wait...force them..(o right like i could force mine to do anything) it has really been a 180 degree change....

gone is the fearful muddle little old parent....the mean ass parent i remember is back...and i am glad...

 

[dilloduck]

a few of you know i have had some concerns with my parent..memory loss etc...this has been going on for a while....i finally got pro active...and called her pcp....who realized she had not had a full exam in over a year...he calls her in for exam....he does all he can do and refers her to a neurologist...now this all sounds easy right? well lets weave in here...conversations where parent is yelling "i am not going to a doctor to be told i am crazy" ...her pcp is all over my ass to be more involved ...to come to doctors visits etc...i try to find out when parent is going...parent changes appts etc...them crazy old people are crafty let me tellz ya....

but to bottom line this....crazy parent who could not remember anything and would ask same question every 5 minutes.....is now on meds for memory...and they are working....
i have my parent back....of course i wished crazy parent would have gone earlier but parent didnt....it took really getting bad ...before parent would agree to anything....5 weeks ago ..i had appts with "early retirement centers" i dont care what you call them...they are nursing homes and warehouses...yesterday i had a 15 minutes conversation with parent...no repeating...its amazing....

so if you got one...crazy parent....dont wait...force them..(o right like i could force mine to do anything) it has really been a 180 degree change....

gone is the fearful muddle little old parent....the mean ass parent i remember is back...and i am glad...

Congrats----better living through chemistry.

 

[strollingbones]

hey it sure drove me to drugs........amazing the difference duckie...it really is amazing....and hell like i told parent...if the memory thing isnt working for ya....just stop taking the pills....parent was not amused....

 

[dilloduck]

hey it sure drove me to drugs........amazing the difference duckie...it really is amazing....and hell like i told parent...if the memory thing isnt working for ya....just stop taking the pills....parent was not amused....

ya get old and you can do whatever you want---didn't ya know that ?

 

[Said1]

a few of you know i have had some concerns with my parent..memory loss etc...this has been going on for a while....i finally got pro active...and called her pcp....who realized she had not had a full exam in over a year...he calls her in for exam....he does all he can do and refers her to a neurologist...now this all sounds easy right? well lets weave in here...conversations where parent is yelling "i am not going to a doctor to be told i am crazy" ...her pcp is all over my ass to be more involved ...to come to doctors visits etc...i try to find out when parent is going...parent changes appts etc...them crazy old people are crafty let me tellz ya....

but to bottom line this....crazy parent who could not remember anything and would ask same question every 5 minutes.....is now on meds for memory...and they are working....
i have my parent back....of course i wished crazy parent would have gone earlier but parent didnt....it took really getting bad ...before parent would agree to anything....5 weeks ago ..i had appts with "early retirement centers" i dont care what you call them...they are nursing homes and warehouses...yesterday i had a 15 minutes conversation with parent...no repeating...its amazing....

so if you got one...crazy parent....dont wait...force them..(o right like i could force mine to do anything) it has really been a 180 degree change....

gone is the fearful muddle little old parent....the mean ass parent i remember is back...and i am glad...

Yeah, wonderful news, Bones! That must take a lot of pressure off your shoulders!

 

[strollingbones]

thanks said...it sure does....course now parent is mean again ...but you just cant have it all

 

[Old Rocks]

Glad to hear that things are better for you, Bones.

 

[del]

a few of you know i have had some concerns with my parent..memory loss etc...this has been going on for a while....i finally got pro active...and called her pcp....who realized she had not had a full exam in over a year...he calls her in for exam....he does all he can do and refers her to a neurologist...now this all sounds easy right? well lets weave in here...conversations where parent is yelling "i am not going to a doctor to be told i am crazy" ...her pcp is all over my ass to be more involved ...to come to doctors visits etc...i try to find out when parent is going...parent changes appts etc...them crazy old people are crafty let me tellz ya....

but to bottom line this....crazy parent who could not remember anything and would ask same question every 5 minutes.....is now on meds for memory...and they are working....
i have my parent back....of course i wished crazy parent would have gone earlier but parent didnt....it took really getting bad ...before parent would agree to anything....5 weeks ago ..i had appts with "early retirement centers" i dont care what you call them...they are nursing homes and warehouses...yesterday i had a 15 minutes conversation with parent...no repeating...its amazing....

so if you got one...crazy parent....dont wait...force them..(o right like i could force mine to do anything) it has really been a 180 degree change....

gone is the fearful muddle little old parent....the mean ass parent i remember is back...and i am glad...

great news, bones, i'm delighted to hear it.

 

[Said1]

thanks said...it sure does....course now parent is mean again ...but you just cant have it all

No shit.

We get scared when the old lady starts being all nice.

 

[AllieBaba]

A word on nursing homes....they are for people who are on the decline, but in my experience, the people who work in them are for the most part loving and very committed.

And some of those old/sick folks can be snarky or downright physically abusive.

But they aren't for people who are more than two steps from death, or who are just so forgetful they're a danger to themselves and others, in which case, they are miserable anywhere they're at (Alzheimer's patients). Though I have seen people come in for brief stays after breaking hips who got to go home after a while.

My crazy parent is 75 and coming to live with me in the not too distant future. She's still working now, but she's tired and wants to stop. She's joining a saddle club her friend started, I think I am going to, to. We used to be posse members when I was a girl, it was wonderful. So now her friend (the daughter she never had, for pete's sakes...and she has two daughters) has started a saddle club.

Anyway, good job bones. Please come and bully my mom around some.

 

[Vel]

Congratulations. I'm glad to know your Mom is doing better.

 

[veritas]

Good going strolling!!!

Though I have seen people come in for brief stays after breaking hips who got to go home after a while.

That is because they need physical therapy after having their hips replaced and it is a high risk time which requires medical help be on hand. Sometimes a hospital will keep a patient in house for this, but they'd rather farm them out to a nursing home if they can.

 

[Annie]

a few of you know i have had some concerns with my parent..memory loss etc...this has been going on for a while....i finally got pro active...and called her pcp....who realized she had not had a full exam in over a year...he calls her in for exam....he does all he can do and refers her to a neurologist...now this all sounds easy right? well lets weave in here...conversations where parent is yelling "i am not going to a doctor to be told i am crazy" ...her pcp is all over my ass to be more involved ...to come to doctors visits etc...i try to find out when parent is going...parent changes appts etc...them crazy old people are crafty let me tellz ya....

but to bottom line this....crazy parent who could not remember anything and would ask same question every 5 minutes.....is now on meds for memory...and they are working....
i have my parent back....of course i wished crazy parent would have gone earlier but parent didnt....it took really getting bad ...before parent would agree to anything....5 weeks ago ..i had appts with "early retirement centers" i dont care what you call them...they are nursing homes and warehouses...yesterday i had a 15 minutes conversation with parent...no repeating...its amazing....

so if you got one...crazy parent....dont wait...force them..(o right like i could force mine to do anything) it has really been a 180 degree change....

gone is the fearful muddle little old parent....the mean ass parent i remember is back...and i am glad...

I'm so glad you've got good news! I've been praying for her and you. You are a good daughter.

 

[Luissa]

a few of you know i have had some concerns with my parent..memory loss etc...this has been going on for a while....i finally got pro active...and called her pcp....who realized she had not had a full exam in over a year...he calls her in for exam....he does all he can do and refers her to a neurologist...now this all sounds easy right? well lets weave in here...conversations where parent is yelling "i am not going to a doctor to be told i am crazy" ...her pcp is all over my ass to be more involved ...to come to doctors visits etc...i try to find out when parent is going...parent changes appts etc...them crazy old people are crafty let me tellz ya....

but to bottom line this....crazy parent who could not remember anything and would ask same question every 5 minutes.....is now on meds for memory...and they are working....
i have my parent back....of course i wished crazy parent would have gone earlier but parent didnt....it took really getting bad ...before parent would agree to anything....5 weeks ago ..i had appts with "early retirement centers" i dont care what you call them...they are nursing homes and warehouses...yesterday i had a 15 minutes conversation with parent...no repeating...its amazing....

so if you got one...crazy parent....dont wait...force them..(o right like i could force mine to do anything) it has really been a 180 degree change....

gone is the fearful muddle little old parent....the mean ass parent i remember is back...and i am glad...

are they treating them for dementia? What medication do they have them on?
I have heard good things if they are treating them for dementia if they have them both exelon and namenda or aricept.
On a side not some studies show marijuana will slow plague build up in the brain better then any drug out there right now.
Also I am glad you got everything worked out.