Alzheimers - Frontline

[mylestheslasher]

Anyone watching. Touching account by Michael Noonan on his wifes battle with the disease. Brave man to speak so openly on tv about such a horrible illness.

[Shamrock Shore]

I pray that nobody I know or care for gets this horrible curse.

My parents still motoring along at 76 and 75 and sharper than a carpenter's chisel - for which I am grateful.

If I get it Mrs Shore has the capsules.

Vice versa.

[armaghniac]

Michael Noonan give a very dignified interview. It is unfortunate that his wife was afflicted at a relatively young age.

[TacadoirArdMhacha]

Its such a horrible, dignity-robbing disease. Seeing it overcome someone so utterly can be heart-breaking. I can only hope a cure is found at some stage.

[Windmill abu]

If I get it Mrs Shore has the capsules.

The vast majority of us may feel the same.

But a cure for this dreadful illness can only be found from understanding those people who currently have it.

We may help our children avoid this curse by allowing the current medical experts to investigate and understand what causes it regardless of how much it hurts the relatives of those afflicted.

[Bud Wiser]

My tuppence worth on this.  Jenny & Bobby who were on the program are from Abbeyleix Manor Hotel, two lovely people but the part that annoyed me related to the woman who was lost on regular occasions because she tried to walk from Clontarf back to the south side of the city.  We live in an electronic age where Gardai should not have to spend days looking for someone who is certain to stray with this illness.   I have given three trackers to friends of mine and basicly all they do is pin them to the inside back of a jacket/jumper and they are just the size of a cigarette lighter.  If they go missing you text the sim card number and the reply text to your mobile contains a link to Google Maps and a little red flashing dot with the location accurate to 3 meters. 

I am not trying to sell the items - I do not sell them, I donated the ones that are in use and if anyone knows of someone in this position where the person with the illness rambles off the problem can be sorted for less than €100.  I fail to see why the government are wasting millions paying for a "panic button" for old folks alarm which is a rip off because a big button mobile phone would serve the same purpose, except that of course some selected companies  would not get €450 euro for a $9 button and their relatives have to pay an annual monitoring fee of €200 - instead of subsidising the carers of those with Alzheimers.       

[Declan]

Its such a horrible, dignity-robbing disease

More so for those who are looking at the person with Alzheimers rather than the sufferers themselves I think.
A couple of my elderly relatives have it and whilst at first it is distressing to see them not knowing who you are and childlike and they can sometimes be completely uncontrollable I genuinely think that they themselves are "happy" whatever that means.

Very hard to look on and see someone who was once smart, incisive, humorous, quick witted unable to converse in a meaningful manner with you but more times than not they do not seem stressed or angry etc.

Is it more prevalent because more of us are living longer I wonder

[Bud Wiser]

Is it more prevalent because more of us are living longer I wonder

Before anyone blames mobile phones I think it is because we dont use them enough.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8443541.stm

[armaghniac]

Is it more prevalent because more of us are living longer I wonder

Clearly. People no longer die of a variety of other ailments at younger ages.

Dementia is uncommon in India, curry helps prevent it, apparently.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152775.php

[Donnellys Hollow]

I thought Michael Noonan came across very well last night. To think he was going through such turmoil in his personal life during the election campaign in 2002. It's often very easy to forget the human being behind the politics.

[Aerlik]

My father had it.  A terrible, terrible situation especially as 30+ years ago it wasn't recognised as what it really is.  For a man who could recite his primary school poetry verbatim, and who read profusely to suddenly be left unable to recognise his family is hard.  Very hard.