[anxious_RN]

My boyfriend's dad is 61 years old I believe, and according to this site: Stages of Alzheimer's he is for the most part between stages 5 and 6. If dressing on his own, he will generally put his shoes on the wrong feet, only put one on, or mismatch them. Put his shirt on backward. He gets frustrated talking because he usually can't remember what he was about to say. He remembers names and faces, but I would bet he doesn't know his phone number or address. He rakes the yard constantly, 6 hours a day usually, he doesn't like to sit, so much half the yard has turned bare. He has difficulty doing normal tasks, like getting ice out of the freezer, and can't remember for anything where he puts stuff. When he vaccumes, he will do it for hours, not remembering he already vaccumed in that spot. Yesterday he was mopping the tile, and moved on to the carpet and mopped the carpet for about 45 minutes unaware that carpet is not meant to be mopped.

My question is - will he die from this disease? Is there any way that you could guess how much longer he has left, or is alzheimers simply a disease that impares the memory? If there is a way to tell how much longer he has left, what would your guess be?

Thank you :(

[dave146]

Hello,



Alzheimer's is something what is called a terminal disease. Yes, treatment actually can slow the progress of Alzheimer's down, however no cure has yet been discovered - and probably will never be... The disease IS fatal. The person will die 5-25 years after Alzheimer´s is diagnosed...

If your boyfriend´s father at stages 5-6, I predict he will pass away in 1-3 years, at latest.

My aunty died of Alzheimer´s 2 weeks ago. I am sorry for your boyfriend´s dad.

[dave146]

If you need to talk, Ill give you my Skype. I know a lot about this.

[anxious_RN]

Yes! I would be grateful for anything! Just let me know on here or PM me or something and that would be greatly appreciated! I would PM you but I don't know how to on this website yet. Thank you so much

[dave146]

Can you give me your email address? I´m the sort of person who has enemies and gets bullied, so the last thing I need is someone searching for my email and finding it :( Im sorry... Or, do you have Skype?

[anxious_RN]

Noi don't even know what that is :p. [email protected]

[dave146]

Well... How does your father react to different situations? Can he answer simple questions? Does he need assistance 24/7? Tell me more, so I can do something.

[dave146]

Can you afford a caretaker?

[anxious_RN]

Well.. he gets very frustrated easily, especially in loud noises. We go to his nephews football games together every Friday night and it takes him forever to get down the bleachers, even though they only sit like 2 rows up. Simple questions? Not really. Most of the time you have to repeat it 3-4 times, and it takes him a while to comprehend. He deosn't necessarily need assistance all the time, he doesn't like getting help he's very independent and its frustrating for him to have to have someone help him with things. He toilets and takes showers on his own for the most part. He likes to do yard work and be active, but most of the time he's very repetitive about it as he forgets that he already cleaned that spot, etc.

[anxious_RN]

His wife takes care of him. She is 100% okay, drives him everywhere and helps when he needs it. She's a retired RN. She had to retire early when he was diagnosed. She stays home all day with him

[dave146]

Does he realize he is sick? He is familiar with his identity, right?

[dave146]

Do you suffer from depression?

[anxious_RN]

Well, he is my boyfriend's father, and I'm not as close to him as he is, but it is very hard to see his father like this. But yes, I do have depression from a rough childhood that has carried on with me, but it is unrelated to his alzheimer's

[dave146]

It is related, trust me. My mother left me and my father saying she is going because she hates me. Then my aunty moved in. The depression was actually worse... But I was like 15...