28th May 2008
Welcome to the board LittleBit though I hate you have a reason to be here. My Dad also has vascular dementia and has for the last 8 to 9 years. He also had five bypasses, two heart attacks, several stints in his legs and heart, and peripheral vascular disease in his legs. We know why he ended up with vascular dementia! He does have delusions and they seem to come and go. He is X-military so there is always somebody attacking the house, trying to break in, or some other reason he needs to defend his territory. We just smiled, nodded, and reassured him as he checked the doors and windows for the fifth time to see if they were truly locked. He was also on seroquel for a while along with namenda, aricept, and a PRN Xanax for those really anxious nights. Now he is on Ativan and Remeron along with the Namenda and Aricept. The meds may or may not have helped his delusions but they absolutely helped his level of aggitation. For the most part he is now happy in his world.
We had the opposite problem with Dad. We couldn't stop him. He was go go go, pacing the floor, and talking non stop. PAD causes cramping when he sits too long and walking makes it better. He also one question right after the other and then repeated them over and over. Since Christmas he has slowed down dramatically. He wakes up late morning (after 10 am) and dresses in time to take a nap before he goes to lunch. He sleeps in his chair during the afternoon, goes to supper, sleeps in his chair for a while, reads the paper and goes to bed by 9 pm. He does not complain but you can tell from the way he walks that his legs are bothering him from the poor circulation. I think this is the reason he is not up and pacing now. When he sits he sleeps.
Did the doctor's determin the cause of the seizure. Could his refusal to get out of bed be related to the seizuire? It's a guessing game that is hit or miss at any given moment to figure out what they do what they do. Sometimes you don't figure it out but just do the best you can to deal with what they come up with. They are in their own world. My best advice is to coax and encourage without being argumentative. Give him a reason to get up. Dad would not get up except we refuse to feed him in bed. The man LOVES to eat. Two trips to the dinning room is his exercise for the day. Be sure to talk to his doctor about what you are observing and see what he might suggest.
Again welcome to the board. It's a great place and has been my sanity since my Mom was disgnosed with ALZ. Yes... I have two parents with their own form of dementia in Assisted Living. So keep typing and asking questions. I will keep you and your Dad in my thoughts and prayers....
Love, deb
We had the opposite problem with Dad. We couldn't stop him. He was go go go, pacing the floor, and talking non stop. PAD causes cramping when he sits too long and walking makes it better. He also one question right after the other and then repeated them over and over. Since Christmas he has slowed down dramatically. He wakes up late morning (after 10 am) and dresses in time to take a nap before he goes to lunch. He sleeps in his chair during the afternoon, goes to supper, sleeps in his chair for a while, reads the paper and goes to bed by 9 pm. He does not complain but you can tell from the way he walks that his legs are bothering him from the poor circulation. I think this is the reason he is not up and pacing now. When he sits he sleeps.
Did the doctor's determin the cause of the seizure. Could his refusal to get out of bed be related to the seizuire? It's a guessing game that is hit or miss at any given moment to figure out what they do what they do. Sometimes you don't figure it out but just do the best you can to deal with what they come up with. They are in their own world. My best advice is to coax and encourage without being argumentative. Give him a reason to get up. Dad would not get up except we refuse to feed him in bed. The man LOVES to eat. Two trips to the dinning room is his exercise for the day. Be sure to talk to his doctor about what you are observing and see what he might suggest.
Again welcome to the board. It's a great place and has been my sanity since my Mom was disgnosed with ALZ. Yes... I have two parents with their own form of dementia in Assisted Living. So keep typing and asking questions. I will keep you and your Dad in my thoughts and prayers....
Love, deb