Caring for Mom and Dad with Alzheimers/Dementia/Cancer

It’s been almost 22 months now since Daddy died (March 11, 2009). I wasn’t even over my grieving for my Mom who died a year before Daddy (March 21, 2008). The past 8 to 10 years were some of the roughest, and yet, some of the greatest times spent with my parents. I was chosen to be the caregiver for my parents and I am grateful.

Mom and Dad moved back to Colorado in 1998, after living in Texas for 10 years. Dad was feeling like their health was deteriorating (Mom had a breast removed) and he wasn’t sure that he could handle everything. I was so thrilled to have them back nearby.

We really enjoyed being able to visit often, going to dinner together, having holidays together again and just spending time with the whole family…my Mom, my Dad, my Mother-in-Law and our 4 children. Brothers and sisters came out to visit when they could….from MN, IL, CA and it was super.

In 2000, way too soon, my Mom began showing signs of forgetfulness. Alzheimers runs in our family and she had always worried that she would be like her mother with Alzheimers. And sure enough, she was diagnosed with Alzheimers in 2001. I wish I had known about glutathione back then. What a dreadful disease…..helplessly I watched my Mom through the entire loss of her memories, her ability to form full sentences, her FEAR when she realized very frequently in the early stages that she was “losing everything” as she said so often. She began to wander a bit and Daddy would find her in some neighbor’s home. She would be frightened and not know who Daddy was so she didn’t want to go with him. She could no longer cook and Daddy had to always check the stove to be sure it was turned off. He would call me several times a week to come over because he couldn’t stop Mom from crying. I would go over, hold Mom in my arms and rock her, telling her that I would always be here for her whenever she needed me. Eventually, she would stop crying and I could coax a little laughter out of her.

Of course, I tried everything I could think of….medical treatments such as Namenda (I ordered it from Germany because it had not yet been approved here in the USA) and it did seem to help a bit. Mom couldn’t take the other treatments because they made her very ill physically. I made sure that Mom took vitamins, the very best that I could find at the time. I replaced all their chemically-laced toxic cleaners and personal care items with environmentally-safe products ( http://www.essanteworldwide.com/optforsuccess )and I’m sure it was better for them, but probably way too late to do much good.

Mom complained about her leg hurting and she would cry asking us to please have her leg cut off. I would explain that we couldn’t cut her leg off but we would try to alleviate the pain. Her doctor gave her some arthritis med treatment but it didn’t do any good. He even gave her cortisone shots but they didn’t help at all. Finally, I tried one of my alternative health solution products ( http://www.tni.com/optforfreedom )and within a week, she no longer was complaining about the pain, her leg was no longer buckling under her and she was feeling just great.

I began looking for ways to keep her active and also secure. My Dad was becoming exhausted trying to take care of her and he needed breaks. I began contacting different kinds of senior care help, the Alzheimers Association, longterm health care, Adult Protection Agency and many others to learn what I could setup to help my Mom and Dad.

I was able to get some of the help we needed: daycare, meals on wheels and much more. I utilized several alternative health products to ease some of the issues for both my Mom and my Dad. Glutathione ( http://www.connieclark.max4u.com ) was of importance, but my Mom died before I knew about Glutathione. I did utilize it for my Dad and firmly believe it aided in a much better quality of life for him. It was too late, unfortunately, to make a difference in his health problems.

My Mom was eventually severely injured in a nursing home within 2 days of her admittance...very sad development. It pushed her immediately into last stages of Alzheimers and she could no longer walk, talk, eat or much of anything. Be super careful if you decide to place someone in a nursing home! I wish that I had checked around much more than I did.

Then my Dad was diagnosed with Dementia, COPD and Cancer of the Esophagus. Whew, way too much but we moved forward as best as we could. My husband was an amazing source of love and caring for me and my parents. After Mom was severely injured, I brought my Dad home to live with us. He remained with us until his death and I was able to significantly affect his health with alternative care and alternative health products.

I will try to share more information in another article. Please feel free to contact me if you would like to know more about Alzheimers and the solutions/hardships endured during this journey.

Be healthy and happy!

Warmly,
Connie
http://www.behealthysolutions.com