at what point do you stop living and just survive

[dakota port]

now in order to add more detail to the question

my grandmother has Alzheimer,diabetes,arthritis, bad blood flow, and she has hard time swallowing half the time. everyday she looks for people who don't exist, never existed, or she thinks her 50 year old daughter is still 5. everyday is hell for her thinking we do not care about "the children" and people are missing. she will bite and push you if you disagree with her (my arm has had a few chomps on it *thank goodness her dentures are dull as a spoon*). heck she thought once that in order to get to the driver seat you had to go through the trunk (she does not drive anymore nor has the keys)

i hope that by the time i get that bad i am either dead or killed with little pain involved.(i know selfish of me but i do not want people seeing me like that nor me to be like that)

so what point do you think life isn't worth living? when you lose your brain power/critical thinking? when you lose mobility?

edit: i don't mind dealing her problems, if she lives another 10+ years i'll still deal with her problems, but i am thinking about how the person afflicted with the illnesses feels about it.

 

[DaveTheMinion]

If that was the case, may as well terminate everyone with autism or any severe mental disorder. Life is too precious, instead of complaining about the bad, enjoy the good. If your grandmother is too much, maybe its time to place her with someone qualified and experienced with treating her.

 

[plastic dr]

I know what you are talking about. It is sad to watch it happen to someone that was very sharp.

 

[DaveTheMinion]

My wife's grandmother was horribly taken from cancer, for a couple months she was on autopilot, not even capable of speech, and my wife soaked up those last two months aa much as she could. Once someone flatlines, there is no more seeing them.

 

[dakota port]

My wife's grandmother was horribly taken from cancer, for a couple months she was on autopilot, not even capable of speech, and my wife soaked up those last two months aa much as she could. Once someone flatlines, there is no more seeing them.

i was thinking more along the lines of the person afflicted with the illness not how those around them feel about it by that i mean put yourself in someone like my grandmothers situation.

i certainly hope your wifes grandmothers death was as painless as possible for your wifes grandmother. my condolences to your wife and i wish your wife and you health now and in the future

 

[markj]

My Father is suffering from temporal lobe dementia (a form of Alzhiemers). It has progressed very rapidly. My father is a strong man, spent his entire life caring for his family he is a devoted husband of 52 years and my hero. He can no longer feed or dress himself, he is constantly confused and paranoid, haunted by halucinations. As a proud strong man, he would NOT want to go out this way, none of us would, Yet... here we are, waiting for those few fleeting moments of lucidity. He is still alive, I will always love him, but it has been an incredibly painful road for everyone.
Praying for his mind and soul to find the peace that he deserves...

If you havent called your Father today to wish him a happy Fathers Day, please do.

 

[RdKill]

I am a nurse currently working in a nursing home(going back to school in August). I see quite a bit of this. It is sad but more sad for the family than the patient. Dementia may actually be a blessing. As the brain atrophies/deteriorates, cognition goes with it. They become less and less worried about their own mortality, those they are leaving behind and their disease. While confusion and short term memory loss may seem very frustrating, it's not usually all their frustrating for them. It gets VERY frustrating for family and caregivers, especially for those that don't have prior experience observing the disease process. By the time death approaches, they usually have no idea what is going on and they pass on quietly and relatively peacefully. Think about it. Would you rather be sharp as a tack while laying there struggling for your last breath and know you are dying? Another thing I have noticed, is at some point in dementia, a lot of people revert back to some point in life decades ago. This is when they are often looking for someone who was probably around at the age they have reverted to. It's not unusual to have 90+ year old patients looking for Momma or Daddy. Children that died young are also often sought after while living children are often forgotten. Living children are often confused for passed spouses. This could be a timeline thing with regression. Perhaps a 45 year old son looks just like hubby did 45 years ago or whenever the regression landed. Behaviors like biting usually turn out to be some adverse effect of medication. Some of those meds will chill most people out but cause a few to go berserk. Halidol, Geodon, Seroquel, Ativan etc...very sedating for most...opposite effect with added unpredictable behaviors rarely but often enough for others!

So, the question that haunts me...Are they losing their mind, or are they finding their memories?

 

[Laxguy59]

I'm asking for the helium helmet at that point in my life or at least have it written somewhere.

 

[Nick_T]

Could be all or none of the above. I think it's when ya lose the will to live that ya stop living and just survive. Sorry to hear ya have a loved one with some major aging problems going on.

Nick T

 

[dakota port]

Could be all or none of the above. I think it's when ya lose the will to live that ya stop living and just survive. Sorry to hear ya have a loved one with some major aging problems going on.

Nick T

the poll is multiple choice so choose and don't choose the one you desire and i can not add an option(to my knowledge)