2 ms·

It's not a day of learning. It's day after day of being frightened by unfamiliar surroundings, not knowing why you are so old and feeble, and being afraid that

It's not a day of learning. It's day after day of being frightened by unfamiliar surroundings, not knowing why you are so old and feeble, and being afraid that everyone around you is trying to hurt you. The paranoia and distrust and bitterness that comes with the disease is just as bad as the memory loss itself. All of that hardship drags down entire families and can stress old friendships to the breaking point. Alzheimer's is a frightening and cruel disease.

redorb 18y ago
emphasis on "I hope" ... it is a frightening disease my grand father has it; I think sometimes its our reaction to him forgetting us that makes him scared.. perhaps if we just re introduced ourselves
- LogicHoleFlaw 18y ago
  I've cared for several grandparents as they went through the stages of the disease. In one case there was severe paranoia and distrust. In the other it was the daily unfamiliarity which was frightening to her. In the end introductions lasted only minutes. The best we can do right now is to show love and care as they go through these trials. All I can say is to be strong, and remember the good times when life wears thin.
mechanical_fish 18y ago
The paranoia and distrust and bitterness that comes with the disease is just as bad as the memory loss itself. I've known three people so far with Alzheimer's: My grandmother, my grandfather, and my mother-in-law. My observation is that Alzheimer's definitely shifts your personality, but which direction it goes in is not obvious. My grandma ended up paranoid and distrustful. My grandfather remained cheerful and smiling right up to the end. (Neither of them actually died of Alzheimer's.) My mother-in-law is also fairly far over toward the good-cheer side. It is tempting to observe that Alzheimer's tends to exaggerate an existing aspect of your personality: My grandmother was always paranoid and became more so; my grandfather was always fairly cheerful and outgoing. But some of that may be due to environmental factors: an Alzheimer's patient surrounded by familiar, friendly people and things is naturally likely to be happier. When you've got Alzheimer's, the influence of environment gets larger and larger, since it's your only possible source of continuity. That's what this awesome bus stop hack is exploiting.

redorb 18y ago

emphasis on "I hope" ... it is a frightening disease my grand father has it; I think sometimes its our reaction to him forgetting us that makes him scared.. perhaps if we just re introduced ourselves

LogicHoleFlaw 18y ago
I've cared for several grandparents as they went through the stages of the disease. In one case there was severe paranoia and distrust. In the other it was the daily unfamiliarity which was frightening to her. In the end introductions lasted only minutes. The best we can do right now is to show love and care as they go through these trials. All I can say is to be strong, and remember the good times when life wears thin.

mechanical_fish 18y ago

The paranoia and distrust and bitterness that comes with the disease is just as bad as the memory loss itself. I've known three people so far with Alzheimer's: My grandmother, my grandfather, and my mother-in-law. My observation is that Alzheimer's definitely shifts your personality, but which direction it goes in is not obvious. My grandma ended up paranoid and distrustful. My grandfather remained cheerful and smiling right up to the end. (Neither of them actually died of Alzheimer's.) My mother-in-law is also fairly far over toward the good-cheer side. It is tempting to observe that Alzheimer's tends to exaggerate an existing aspect of your personality: My grandmother was always paranoid and became more so; my grandfather was always fairly cheerful and outgoing. But some of that may be due to environmental factors: an Alzheimer's patient surrounded by familiar, friendly people and things is naturally likely to be happier. When you've got Alzheimer's, the influence of environment gets larger and larger, since it's your only possible source of continuity. That's what this awesome bus stop hack is exploiting.