My friend Ashley was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in May 2024

Bretrick

Bretrick

SF VIP
Location
Perth Western Australia
Ashley has had a bad fall and broke his hip and femur on Saturday.
Surgery was delayed until today. A 3 hour operation and he is in recovery so doped up he knows nothing.
This was his 4th hip replacement and there is no knowing how he will handle this mentally.
For the past year he has been very down and in a lot of pain with other issues.
His wife, though stoic, is starting to have health issues and has been his carer since his diagnosis in May of 2024.
 
Bretrick said:
Ashley has had a bad fall and broke his hip and femur on Saturday.
Surgery was delayed until today. A 3 hour operation and he is in recovery so doped up he knows nothing.
This was his 4th hip replacement and there is no knowing how he will handle this mentally.
For the past year he has been very down and in a lot of pain with other issues.
His wife, though stoic, is starting to have health issues and has been his carer since his diagnosis in May of 2024.
Click to expand...
this is just about everyone's nightmare... for one or both to get Dementia.. and or one to have to be the carer for the other, when they're in their senior years when it's difficult enough looking after ourselves... as we age..

Just a horrendous situation.. and the poor guy won't have a clue what's happening to him, and his wife will be doubtless beside herself with worry about him.... so awful....

How old is your friend, Bret ?
 
hollydolly said:
this is just about everyone's nightmare... for one or both to get Dementia.. and or one to have to be the carer for the other, when they're in their senior years when it's difficult enough looking after ourselves... as we age..

Just a horrendous situation.. and the poor guy won't have a clue what's happening to him, and his wife will be doubtless beside herself with worry about him.... so awful....

How old is your friend, Bret ?
Click to expand...
Ashley is 79, his wife, 75?
There are going to be hard/sad times ahead. They have two daughters who help out as much as they can, but their lives must go on as well.
 
Bretrick said:
I have no idea if they have been tested. I might ask Gail, (wife) down some time, but that would be well down the track.
Click to expand...
this is the problem with Dementia.. .... there's a 50/50 chance the gene gets passsed to the offspirng.. and sometimes one child will have it and the others won't, and many people who have parents particulalarly parents who got Young Onset Dementia... get themselves tested so they know what is to come, and they can make preperations for that.. well in advance

In the UK... an astonishing 1 in 11 people over the age of 65, has Dementia
 
Do you know why he had to have so many hip replacements? Two on each side or all on the same side? Do you think some were also due to falls. Him and his wife both suffering declining health, with Alzheimer's in the picture on top of that! Sad situation!
 
OneEyedDiva said:
Do you know why he had to have so many hip replacements? Two on each side or all on the same side? Do you think some were also due to falls. Him and his wife both suffering declining health, with Alzheimer's in the picture on top of that! Sad situation!
Click to expand...
3 right hand side, 1 left. All due to falls over a decade. This is going to negatively affect his wife Gail, more than she will let on.
 
A friend of mine moved into a retirement village with her husband who had slight dementia and could get around safely. He had to have a hernia operation, and all went well until it was time to come back to the village. He didn't know where he was and thought the hospital was where he lived and was always fearful. The doctor told his wife sometimes when a dementia patient needed surgery, having that done accelerates the dementia and nothing more can be done. He lived another 12 months and passed away.
 
oscash said:
A friend of mine moved into a retirement village with her husband who had slight dementia and could get around safely. He had to have a hernia operation, and all went well until it was time to come back to the village. He didn't know where he was and thought the hospital was where he lived and was always fearful. The doctor told his wife sometimes when a dementia patient needed surgery, having that done accelerates the dementia and nothing more can be done. He lived another 12 months and passed away.
Click to expand...
I believe anesthesia can worsen the alzhimer and dementia.
 
Bretrick said:
Ashley is still in hospital. He is in the dementia ward. Hopefully he will have some rehab so he can go home.
Has been in hospital for 17 days now.
Click to expand...
One thing I know of is Dementia is an expensive disease if he goes to the Rehab, even Memory care facility because Rehab most likely keeps him unless a person with a good health and willingly cares for. Rehab(a part of Nursing Home) has a limited time-line. Once used up, the family pays for the care. A long-time care. Medicare does not pay forever.

I was a caregiver to my late husband until his death from an aggressive cancer which spread all over his body. Normally, he was not a demanding person/husband, but as his cancer progressed, he constantly calling my name making sure I was with him. Even I could not go backyard more than 15 minutes. I don't blame him, just what any terminal illnesses are.
 
I visited Ashley in hospital yesterday. He looks terrible, lost a lot of weight, very gaunt in the face.
His memory recall has deteriorated significantly from when we last had coffee together 3 weeks ago.
When I walked into his room, he did not know who I was, Gail had to tell him.
Instead of me listing all the things he was unable to remember I will just say he is in a bad way from what he was less than a month ago.
He has some serious metalwork holding his hip in place and stabilising his femur.
He is due to go home tomorrow. Though watching how unstable he is walking, (with a frame) I predict he will have another fall and be back in hospital inside a week.
Gail has visited every day he has been there and is extremely tired. Her workload will only increase when he arrives home. Yes, she has applied for home help but that has not been approved as yet.
I doubt that I will be taking Ashley out for coffee for a very long time.
I will continue to visit him for as long as he is with us and will tell Gail to plan a few hours for herself outside the home whilst I am visiting.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top