So sorry. Mom was diagnosed with dementia about ten years ago, but looking back on it, I realized that there were signs much earlier (such as she forgot how to make her spaghetti sauce which had been her signature dish forever). We had to move her to an assisted-living facility in 2007 because we all work full-time, and paying for 24-7 in-home care would have cost $100,000 a year. She was diagnosed with end-stage Alzheimer's, and when she ate she had to be told to chew and swallow. In April 2009 she got a blood clot due to atrial fibrillation. The doctor told us to get our sister in Dallas to Atlanta immediately because Mom had end-stage breathing. I believe in the power of prayer, and not only did she not die, but she got too well for hospice and then too well for a nursing home. So last April we moved her into an assisted-living facility. She gets better and better. I took her to her doctor recently for a checkup and told him that I think that the Coumadin she's on for the heart problem has given her better blood flow to her brain, and thus better cognitive skills. At first he scoffed at my theory, but then he said that my theory is correct.
Now Mom is anxious for our visits, likes to get out and about, and loves dining out with us.
Sorry, Lady D, that your father didn't have this positive outcome. But any of you who read this post might want to discuss Coumadin with your parent's MD if s/he has Alzheimer's.
They don't call me "Doctor R" for nothing. It's more than just mathematics, computer science, and art history. I am a hypochondriac, so I folow medical news. I'd go to med school in a flash if I weren't too old to get accepted. I have saved the lives of many students and their children with my medical advice.
Lady D, you are in my prayers.