Hi, RBS

My 84-year-old mother has Alzheimer's. She was diagnosed about 1-1/2 years ago. She improved a lot after starting the Alzheimer's drug Aricept last spring. Her Dr. had only mentioned this drug in passing, and not very enthusiastically. Later, I attended an Alzheimer's conference and a couple of the presenters really expounded the virtues of Aricept and some similar drugs. We started her on it in a low dose and it made some improvement in just 2 weeks. She is still far more cognizant than she was 1 year ago.

My biggest problem is that there are 5 of us kids. Three live nearby, one lives a couple of hours away, and one lives out of state. My mother still lives alone (my father died in 1990), and we don't exactly agree on what to do about that. My brother has power of attorney and deals with her finances and more or less is thinking about the living alone thing (as of a few months ago). I am in charge of her medical stuff (she also has heart and blood pressure problems...and a few other things are going on). My sister has dinner with my mom daily and is there for her evening meds.

If you are interested, I'd be glad to email my report on the conference that I sent out to my sibs.

My mom really likes getting cards and letters that she can look at or read over and over. You might talk to your dad's caregivers about what kind of things are really making him happy these days. It is also important to support the caregiver, even just by asking what is going on. It can be really nice just to vent to a sympathetic ear once in a while!

Take care, RBS

maddiemcwa