the problems of coping with aged parents with dementia
DESCRIPTION
The onset of Dementia in an aging parent is a very difficult and sensitive situation. It comes about very gradually and subtly and is hardly noticeable at first. But gradually, it becomes more evident when the person begins to forget the obvious things that they never had any problems with before.TRANSCRIPT
The Problems of Coping with Aged Parents with Dementia
The onset of Dementia in an aging parent is a very difficult and sensitive situation. It comes about very gradually and subtly and is hardly noticeable at first. But gradually, it becomes more evident when the person begins to forget the obvious things that they never had any problems with before.
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The afflicted persons start to become confused easily and don't remember even the simplest of things, events, or even the names of friends and relatives. The person is still in there, but that person is slowly losing the ability to relate to the surroundings.
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Dementia can be caused by Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. The function of the brain in memory, speech and cognitive thinking slowly is reduced until the person has to be institutionalized.
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There reaches a point where family just cannot take care of the individual anymore, due to the lack of the ability of the person to do anything to take care of them. Such simple tasks of bathing, using the bathroom, and remembering how to get from one room to the next becomes impossible.
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When this condition happens to a parent is heartbreaking, because it seems impossible that this once strong individual, who led us and nurtured us through childhood into adulthood, has now turned into a child themselves.
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Families will usually try to take care of a parent for as long as possible, but the time will come that the parent will either pass away, or become so bereft in their mind that it becomes impossible to take care of the individual any longer.
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To illustrate the dilemma, imagine yourself attempting to take a 200 pound person to the bathroom, when they can't even remember what a bathroom is for. You have the same problem getting them dressed, fed and under control 24 hours per day, as most of the time they are still ambulatory.
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This is why up to 60 of the caregivers die before the person that they are caring for pass away. Unless the caregiver has some help, they just wear out. If the caregiver has any kind of health issues themselves, they just don't have the stamina to carry on for years at a time.
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This is a big problem in our current healthcare situation, because as people live longer, the percentage of elderly people who have dementia increases. It is a problem that needs be addressed in an aggressive manner, as it is becoming very widespread.
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