Alzheimer's song

[Mountain Mamma]

This song reminds me so much of my husband when he could remember me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQR46giL1co

[orogenicman]

That brought tears to my eyes.  MM, I lost my grandmother, my mother, and her 9 sisters to Alzheimers, so I completely empathize with what you and your husband are experiencing, though no doubt it is even more personal when it is a spouse.  Sweetie, I wish there was something I could do for you. I mean that.  And I don't want you to get y our hopes up, but have you read about the cancer drug that they've found that reverses many of the effects of Alzheimers?  It isn't ready for human trials, but looks very promising.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57374685-10391704/cancer-drug-reverses-alzheimers-disease-in-mice-hope-for-humans/

[Ms. Fast trx]

MM, I hope you do not mind me posting the lyrics...but this song is so heartfelt and beautiful, it brought tears to my eyes. No one knows if or when anyone of us or our loved ones will go through this or get this...thank you for sharing this song with us all.



From His Window
Writer/Performer: John Smith
www.johnsmithmusic.com
© 1997 Blue Pine Music (ASCAP)

Inspiration Notes: This song was inspired by my late father's time in an Alzheimer's
disease unit. He always would wave good-bye to me from his window as I drove away
and it broke my heart.

He stands beside the window, he watches cars go by
He waves at everybody, he's just a friendly guy
He doesn't know what day it is, he doesn't talk much anymore
Sometimes he cries when he means to laugh
The doctors say he can't help that

I come to visit and take him out on drives
He wants to go home with me every time
But the nurses come to take him
Back to his room that's waiting
I fight to keep my tears inside
From his window, he waves goodbye

Where have the years all gone to, it seems like only yesterday
We used to dance upon his shoes, back on Sunday afternoons
He was a mountain standing tall, doing his best to raise us all
We always had enough to eat, he worked two jobs to make ends meet

But it seems, he can't remember that
And it's hard for the rest of us to understand
But when I come to visit, he knows my name and he says it
And I fight to keep my tears inside
From his window, he waves goodbye

But when I come to visit, he knows my name and he says it
It makes me glad I made the drive
From his window, he waves goodbye
From his window, he waves goodbye

[Lowell]

I saw an article about deep brain stimulation with electrodes to treat alzheimer's and thought of your husband.

[Mountain Mamma]

I saw an article about deep brain stimulation with electrodes to treat alzheimer's and thought of your husband.

I can see where there might be some success with that with someone just newly diagnosed with Alzheimer's.  My husband is in the last stages having been diagnosed in 2004.  I hope they continue to make progress in that field.  Nobody knows what causes it.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if they found out? 

[Mountain Mamma]

That brought tears to my eyes.  MM, I lost my grandmother, my mother, and her 9 sisters to Alzheimers, so I completely empathize with what you and your husband are experiencing, though no doubt it is even more personal when it is a spouse.  Sweetie, I wish there was something I could do for you. I mean that.  And I don't want you to get y our hopes up, but have you read about the cancer drug that they've found that reverses many of the effects of Alzheimers?  It isn't ready for human trials, but looks very promising.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57374685-10391704/cancer-drug-reverses-alzheimers-disease-in-mice-hope-for-humans/

I truly do have empathy for you having lost so many family members to Alzheimer's.  I don't know how I would have the strength to go through this again with another loved one.  I visited my husband yesterday and he doesn't have a clue who I am.  But then again, maybe he does, and just can't react to my presence. He shows no emotion.   I can't second guess what goes through his mind. I would like to think that sometimes he thinks of me.   

[orogenicman]

That brought tears to my eyes.  MM, I lost my grandmother, my mother, and her 9 sisters to Alzheimers, so I completely empathize with what you and your husband are experiencing, though no doubt it is even more personal when it is a spouse.  Sweetie, I wish there was something I could do for you. I mean that.  And I don't want you to get y our hopes up, but have you read about the cancer drug that they've found that reverses many of the effects of Alzheimers?  It isn't ready for human trials, but looks very promising.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57374685-10391704/cancer-drug-reverses-alzheimers-disease-in-mice-hope-for-humans/

I truly do have empathy for you having lost so many family members to Alzheimer's.  I don't know how I would have the strength to go through this again with another loved one.  I visited my husband yesterday and he doesn't have a clue who I am.  But then again, maybe he does, and just can't react to my presence. He shows no emotion.   I can't second guess what goes through his mind. I would like to think that sometimes he thinks of me.   

It wasn't easy, and I must say that having a caring/understanding family helped me considerably.  I hope there is someone close to you who you can confide in when things get tough.  If not, you have my ear any time you need it.

[Mountain Mamma]

That brought tears to my eyes.  MM, I lost my grandmother, my mother, and her 9 sisters to Alzheimers, so I completely empathize with what you and your husband are experiencing, though no doubt it is even more personal when it is a spouse.  Sweetie, I wish there was something I could do for you. I mean that.  And I don't want you to get y our hopes up, but have you read about the cancer drug that they've found that reverses many of the effects of Alzheimers?  It isn't ready for human trials, but looks very promising.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57374685-10391704/cancer-drug-reverses-alzheimers-disease-in-mice-hope-for-humans/

I truly do have empathy for you having lost so many family members to Alzheimer's.  I don't know how I would have the strength to go through this again with another loved one.  I visited my husband yesterday and he doesn't have a clue who I am.  But then again, maybe he does, and just can't react to my presence. He shows no emotion.   I can't second guess what goes through his mind. I would like to think that sometimes he thinks of me.   

It wasn't easy, and I must say that having a caring/understanding family helped me considerably.  I hope there is someone close to you who you can confide in when things get tough.  If not, you have my ear any time you need it.

Thanks. I might take you up on that.  Actually, I have no family close the area in which I live. They are all in the Eastern part of Ky.  I am childless also.  I have had to learn to deal with this myself. I never want to impose on others.  It is what it is.   

[orogenicman]

That brought tears to my eyes.  MM, I lost my grandmother, my mother, and her 9 sisters to Alzheimers, so I completely empathize with what you and your husband are experiencing, though no doubt it is even more personal when it is a spouse.  Sweetie, I wish there was something I could do for you. I mean that.  And I don't want you to get y our hopes up, but have you read about the cancer drug that they've found that reverses many of the effects of Alzheimers?  It isn't ready for human trials, but looks very promising.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57374685-10391704/cancer-drug-reverses-alzheimers-disease-in-mice-hope-for-humans/

I truly do have empathy for you having lost so many family members to Alzheimer's.  I don't know how I would have the strength to go through this again with another loved one.  I visited my husband yesterday and he doesn't have a clue who I am.  But then again, maybe he does, and just can't react to my presence. He shows no emotion.   I can't second guess what goes through his mind. I would like to think that sometimes he thinks of me.   

It wasn't easy, and I must say that having a caring/understanding family helped me considerably.  I hope there is someone close to you who you can confide in when things get tough.  If not, you have my ear any time you need it.

Thanks. I might take you up on that.  Actually, I have no family close the area in which I live. They are all in the Eastern part of Ky.  I am childless also.  I have had to learn to deal with this myself. I never want to impose on others.  It is what it is.   

When you care about people, it is never an imposition.

[Miss Deborah]

It is a terrible disease, I recall my father's last lucid moment with my brothers and I and it was during the race when the philly Rags to Riches took the Belmont.  He just had this incredibly sweet smile as he looked at my brothers and I and he started laughing talking about finally have all of his children in the same room with him a few minutes later he was gone.

It's so painful wishing you the best MM!

[orogenicman]

It is a terrible disease, I recall my father's last lucid moment with my brothers and I and it was during the race when the philly Rags to Riches took the Belmont.  He just had this incredibly sweet smile as he looked at my brothers and I and he started laughing talking about finally have all of his children in the same room with him a few minutes later he was gone.

It's so painful wishing you the best MM!

One aspect of it that I noticed with my aunts is that how in one case, there is this huge personality change while in another case, their personalities are similar.  What I mean is this.  I had one aunt who was the sweetest woman you could ever meet, and was probably the aunt I was closest to. When she started getting moderately bad, she became very nasty and tempermental and then she would suddenly smile and want to dance.  I had another aunt who had been a very outgoing person.  When she got the disease, she didn't know who the hell you were, but she was ready to have a party at the drop of a hat.  I had another aunt who became very timid and was frightened of people, though she wasn't before.  I suppose it has to do with deteriorating inhibitions due to memory loss.  My mother developed it late in her life (later than all the rest of her sisters), and was only in the beginning stage when she had four  severe strokes over the course of three months.  She died four months after her first stroke. 
 
This might sound selfish, but I have always been thankful that she didn't linger for years like the rest of them did.  I don't think she suffered as much as my aunts did.  And I know it was easier on our family than it was on many of the other families, though it was still very hard for us.  I miss my mother very much.  She died August 24, 2002.

[Mountain Mamma]

It is a terrible disease, I recall my father's last lucid moment with my brothers and I and it was during the race when the philly Rags to Riches took the Belmont.  He just had this incredibly sweet smile as he looked at my brothers and I and he started laughing talking about finally have all of his children in the same room with him a few minutes later he was gone.

It's so painful wishing you the best MM!

One aspect of it that I noticed with my aunts is that how in one case, there is this huge personality change while in another case, their personalities are similar.  What I mean is this.  I had one aunt who was the sweetest woman you could ever meet, and was probably the aunt I was closest to. When she started getting moderately bad, she became very nasty and tempermental and then she would suddenly smile and want to dance.  I had another aunt who had been a very outgoing person.  When she got the disease, she didn't know who the hell you were, but she was ready to have a party at the drop of a hat.  I had another aunt who became very timid and was frightened of people, though she wasn't before.  I suppose it has to do with deteriorating inhibitions due to memory loss.  My mother developed it late in her life (later than all the rest of her sisters), and was only in the beginning stage when she had four  severe strokes over the course of three months.  She died four months after her first stroke. 
 
This might sound selfish, but I have always been thankful that she didn't linger for years like the rest of them did.  I don't think she suffered as much as my aunts did.  And I know it was easier on our family than it was on many of the other families, though it was still very hard for us.  I miss my mother very much.  She died August 24, 2002.

I understand about the personality changes.  My husband under went changes I never thought would happen.  He became extremely jealous.  He would get mad if he seen me talking to another man.  He became paranoid thinking people were stealing from us.  And finally he became agressive leaving bruises on me. I knew I had to take drastic steps at that point.  The hardest thing I ever had to do was put him in a nursing home.  I knew that these personality changes were not his fault, but I couldn't risk getting hurt anymore.  I know now that I did the right thing. 

[orogenicman]

It is a terrible disease, I recall my father's last lucid moment with my brothers and I and it was during the race when the philly Rags to Riches took the Belmont.  He just had this incredibly sweet smile as he looked at my brothers and I and he started laughing talking about finally have all of his children in the same room with him a few minutes later he was gone.

It's so painful wishing you the best MM!

One aspect of it that I noticed with my aunts is that how in one case, there is this huge personality change while in another case, their personalities are similar.  What I mean is this.  I had one aunt who was the sweetest woman you could ever meet, and was probably the aunt I was closest to. When she started getting moderately bad, she became very nasty and tempermental and then she would suddenly smile and want to dance.  I had another aunt who had been a very outgoing person.  When she got the disease, she didn't know who the hell you were, but she was ready to have a party at the drop of a hat.  I had another aunt who became very timid and was frightened of people, though she wasn't before.  I suppose it has to do with deteriorating inhibitions due to memory loss.  My mother developed it late in her life (later than all the rest of her sisters), and was only in the beginning stage when she had four  severe strokes over the course of three months.  She died four months after her first stroke. 
 
This might sound selfish, but I have always been thankful that she didn't linger for years like the rest of them did.  I don't think she suffered as much as my aunts did.  And I know it was easier on our family than it was on many of the other families, though it was still very hard for us.  I miss my mother very much.  She died August 24, 2002.

I understand about the personality changes.  My husband under went changes I never thought would happen.  He became extremely jealous.  He would get mad if he seen me talking to another man.  He became paranoid thinking people were stealing from us.  And finally he became agressive leaving bruises on me. I knew I had to take drastic steps at that point.  The hardest thing I ever had to do was put him in a nursing home.  I knew that these personality changes were not his fault, but I couldn't risk getting hurt anymore.  I know now that I did the right thing. 

I can relate.  It was very hard for us to put her in a nursing home, especially since she was aware enough that she knew (at least in the beginning) where we had put her.