Hi there… You might remember me from last year, my 46 year old sister,drank and starved herself in to this horrible disease. I am now raising her 12 year old daughter. I wanted to say to all of you suffering that your not alone and that there is some hope.
We put sue in a nursing home right after she collapsed and got immediate, I MEAN IMMEDIATE power of attorney and conservatorship… THey can’t make decisions when they can’t hold onto short term memory. We got a neuropsycologist to do a complete neuro psyche report prior, so that we would have the evidence to ward off the other family members that couldn’t realize the depth of her issues.
They do make some recovery and the more routine in their environment and stable the better they do… Sue now has some short term memory for things that she hears, does, repeats day in and out… but still has none for the day to day incidental items…like did she take a shower, did she change her underwear, did she take her meds, did she already take tylenol for her headache, which cup is hers. .what was she doing before being interrupted. etc.
We left her in the nursing home alzheimers ward for 7 months and then moved her to a board and care and a day time adult day care center ( medi cal pays 100% of the day care) and after 4 months there we put her in an assisted living complex with her still going to the day care every day for 6 hours.
No she is not the same in charge responsible person she was, but she is very very happy and healthy… after going through the first why can’t I go home period. which we responded over and over again. you can’t you can’t remember well enought to be safe and this is the step you have to take to get well to go home ( though we know she won’t ever go home) she is happy she has a ton of stucture, we keep her on a short money leash and all the people around her at the center, apt and us keep all alcohol away and we tell her again and again that she will get very ill due to medication if she drinks.
She laughs and doesn’t drink and is happy and very healthy… she eats like a horse… with no moderation… yes we deal with a weight issue now… but it is better than her starving.
what we found was high doses of the following helped.
Amino acids for the brain we got mega dose at the health food store
Omega three flax seed oil… mega dose again for the brain and mood
Mega b6 and b complex.
this made a huge improvement after about 90 days… her skin and hair are again strong and healthy and her mind is so very very much better.
they are so deficient that you must give them high doses of the above. .most doctors aren’t into this so you have to find one or get it yourself.
hang in there it gets better