Questions about aging?

Question

My grandfather often forgets things. He can ask you to get something for him at the store and by the time you get back, he will have forgotten he asked you for anything. This is not the case with everything, but it does happen frequently. Also, he sometimes asks questions about his wife's whereabout even though she has been dead for about 10 years. He has even thought he has seen her a time or two. I know all of these things are not good, but I was wondering how bad things really are. I have been told to "prepare" myself, because there probably is not much more time with him, but just needed to know if this was true. It seem impossible considering he is still well enough to live on his own, but i would just like to know what to expect. Thank you for any helpful information!

Answer 1

Sounds like a form of demintia or the beginning of Alzhimers.....My dad traveled the same path. My mom died in 1996 and it was as if he was froze in time. He knew mom was dead and several times I would come in and he would ask me Where is your mother? and I would say daddy you know she's dead. He would get so angry at me and I would wind up taking him to the cemetery to her grave where he would look in astonishment and cry and cry. Eventyally he would forget more and more and started to have accidents going to the bathroom. Then one day he signed a blank check and gave it to some fly by night doodes who came by and put down a piddlie amount of asphalt in the driveway. They cashed his check for $5000 a significant amount for his account. Well this was the beginning of from bad to worse. Dad at this point was about 77 and he declined rapidly. I moved in with him and quit my full time job to take care of him. I was an only child, and would not have my parents put in a nursing home. Three years later he died of kidney failure and what they called natural old age. Everyone is different, but I will tell you no matter what your family memebers age, make the most of the time you have. It can be taken away in a heart beat. My only son was killed in a car accident 8 months after my dad died, and the day my dad died my husband was diagnosed with kidney cancer. He died 13 months after my son did. They are all gone. and nothing will bring any of em back. Time is precious never take it for granted.

Answer 2

In the elderly, short term memory is the thing that is lost first. Long term, or crystalized, memory is still generally good. If you were to ask your grandfather about his childhood in school, he could probably tell you a very coherent story.
But, if you asked him to memorize a list of ten words, and then quizzed him on it a half hour later, he probably would not pass it.
I am sure his wife meant a lot to him, and he is growing forgetful that she is gone partly out of a desire to feel more comfortable with his surroundings. The elderly, unless they are socially and physically active, generally do not do well with change.
You should have your grandpa checked out by a gerontologist, a physician or nurse practitioner who specializes in the elderly. Many times, what is causing the loss of mental faculties is not Alzheimers, or dementia, but malnutrition or dehydration, especially sub-clinical urinary tract infections.
You also need to make sure that your grandfather is safe. make sure that he is not living alone, or at least has someone with him at night. Some elderly folks get what is called 'sundown syndrome' becoming more confused, disordered and sometimes paranoid with the evening. Lack of sleep, or disrupted sleep can also have a great impact on mental functioning. Make sure his envirionment is free from potential falling hazards, like loose rugs or lots of furniture and bric a brac, since hip fractures are associated with high mortality rates in the elderly.
We are not all doomed to senescence in our old age, and we shouldn't assume that all symptoms of memory loss or decreased mental status are due to aging.

Answer 3

Some degree of forgetfulness is normal as we age, but forgetting that one's wife has been dead for 10 years suggests an active dementia process. "Dementia" refers to the abnormal death of brain cells, which can result in memory loss, personality changes, and gradual loss of neural functioning.

Dementia is typically progressive and irreversible, though because it advances at its own rate it can be difficult to say exactly "how long" someone has left. There are some medications that can sometimes slow the course of such diseases, and maybe one day stem cells will prove helpful in finding a cure.

If your grandfather is still well enough to live on his own, then it sounds like you may have some time left to enjoy with him. Please make the most of this time. Also, you should watch for signs that he requires assisted living; for example, can he keep track of his money? Does he pay his bills? Does he keep a clean, safe home (e.g., remembers to turn off the stove, etc.)? Is he bathing himself and washing his clothes?

Best of luck.

Answer 4

You dont' tell us how old your grandfather is.
You say you have been told to "prepare'' yourself...who by?

To me, it sounds like your grandfather needs to be thoroughly assessed by a physician. While Alzheimers causes forgetfulness, many other illnesses can affect memory that are treatable. Check that he is eating properly since he lives alone. Nutrition can affect memory as well.

My father has Alzheimers, and he is still quite physically fit. But he can't drive anymore, live alone, or go anywhere alone. It is a disease of the brain not the body.

Find out the truth.

Answer 5

Forgetfulness is common in the elderly, some have the condition more than others, and it hits some earlier than others. Some people at age 50 are extremely forgetful -- even get lost driving their car. Others do fine will into their 90's. It's not a predictable thing... advanced age doesn't always mean advanced forgetfulness.....

Answer 6

Yu need to take him for a medical evaluation. This could be TIA's (often called mini-strokes) or it could be early alzheimer's disease or another type of dementia. Forgetfulness is not come automatically with aging, and the only way to find out what's wrong id to get him checked. Best of luck.

Answer 7

There is nothing basically wrong with your grandpa. I can say so authoritativel because I am also one at 83Yrs. This age is called anecdote-age.The forgetting is normal as brain weakens but in most cases it is harmless. I sometimes mix up the names of my grandchildren and mix up their names when calling them. I have sometimes have, what could only be termed as hallucinations but are nothing more than mental escapades. Just humour your grandpa along. Perhaps he himself also realises what is happening and is taking it in his stride. I was used to work for long hours and presently I have almost nothing to do(Forget I cannot also do much) but I feel guilty and try to do things I cannot at this age. Understand your grandpa's almost guilty feeling that he is doing nothing and humour him along.There is no harm even if you laugh at his idiosyncracies He will not feel offended as ,somewhere inside he also knows that he is perhaps overdoing things and may even join your laugh.You are really lucky to have this grandpa. But luckier than you is your grandpa who has such considerate grandchildren like you. Always remember that you will also have some day ride and set off towards the setting sun like grandpa. Make this journey as comforable as you can.

Answer 8

This sounds like Alzheimer's. People can live a very long time with this disease.

Answer 9

he may have Alzheimer or Dementia .
http://www.alzheimers.com
http://www.dementia.com