The Best Medicine For Dad's Dementia

Dad was first diagnosed in 2011 with a form of age-related senile dementia. It was mild in nature, and progressing at a very slow pace. In fact, during the years 2011-2013, he was highly functional, capable of independent-living, and performing the role of caregiver for his late wife Peggy. He could drive safely, run errands, garden moderately, and easily perform most basic tasks. During the years 2014-2015, Dad was functional, but needed more helps and reminders to take care of diet, wellness, hygiene, etc. Years 2016-2017 were the most difficult, as Dad eventually required much more oversight and assistance. By late 2017, Dad could not perform any task without step-by-step supervision or simply having someone else to do whatever was needed on his behalf.

Our family knows and believes that he flourished best at home. He was blessed to have limited physical problems and required minimal medical care, especially compared to the needs of many other aging seniors. I have no doubt that the love and TLC of family, along with the familiarity of his home, consistency and order, were the most effective medicines to slow the progress of his disease.

Doctors prescribed 3 different Alzheimer's medications over the course of Dad's illness. He never took all three concurrently, at most one or two at a time. I did some research and reading on Alzheimer's and aged-related dementia, and while future breakthroughs may find preventative and corrective cures, the commonly available medicines are not that at all. They are prescribed widely because the data suggests that some people will respond to the medicines with improved functionality performing their basic life-skills, for up to 2 years or so, during the early phase of the disease. Ultimately, the medicines cure nothing. In Dad's case, there was no noticeable benefit, but since he experienced no difficult side effects, he took the prescriptions consistently until mid 2017 when he lost the ability to swallow pills. He never lost his desire or ability to swallow food, but pills became a problem for him. I did not worry about his self-weaning from them, and continued to hand them to him to "take" simply because, in trying to swallow them, he would always drink a few extra sips of water which was a more important need for him.

My completely biased, non-scientific opinion leads me to believe that other at-home treatments worked wonders: being home, around family, activity, robust walking (all the way until Spring 2017), doing every task he could do for as long as he could do, reading, looking at newspapers/magazines, getting out in public, shopping, dining out, spending time with God's people at the Chapel, and of course, having regular God talks and moments of prayer.

While I would never dismiss the competent advice and help of medical professionals, we must never put our faith in them or their prescriptions. Don't underestimate what your personal investment and TLC can do to heal the heart, mind, spirit, and body of your loved one.