Asks for the Impossible

by Beverly
(Terryville, CT)

At 88 years old my Mom is suffering from dementia different than Alzheimer's. Her memory is largely intact but she has delusional experiences most of the time. The difficult part is that she often wants me to do something that is impossible to do.

Example: she wants me to bring her dogs to her along with dog food for them Fact: she has no dogs. Dogs that she did have, have died. No amount of redirecting or anything satisfies her and she ends up angry and sometimes very difficult. She is also completely bedridden.

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I feel the pain of living with an Alzheimer's Parent
by: Anonymous

I feel your pain everyday. My Mom is 82 and has Alzheimer's. She is NOT the person I used to love. The mother I loved is gone. Only her body remains. She has no clue as to who I am.

I have been relying on the help of in-home caregivers to bathe and shower her and keep her bedroom and bathroom clean. My mother's pretty much bedridden, often laying down for 20 hours a day.

I am at the point where I really need to transition her in to a memory care facility.

There will be no money left after about a year. I will probably end up having to sell my house in order to keep paying for her nursing home care. When all is and done, I will be left with nothing more than the horrible memories of witnessing my mother dying from this horrible disease.

I feel there is no future for me. I have not been able to work or keep a job the past 8 years. My employers were not very understanding of my situation. I really fear for the future. Living this way makes me so thankful I never married and had children.

I certainly would not want anyone to experience the pain that I have experienced every day for the past 8 years or so.

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