To recap:

Dad died
Father in law died 5 days after dad's funeral
My job went to shit

Now it seems as if my 74 year old step-dad has the early onset of dementia. I've been reading quite a bit and my mom is meeting with the doc in a bit. (Step dad is in hospital).

Having her ask doc about difference between Alzheimer’s and dementia (which is what they are saying), but the reading I’m doing makes me think that the hallucinations, bathroom issues, etc are more aligned with Alzheimers than dementia. (More general confusion and forgetfulness)

He watched his mom go through this and it really fucked with him, always said that he'd never "go out that way". I had my sister remove his guns from the house until I can get up there are better assess.

Fuck a duck.

Hang in there buddy. It's always darkest before the dawn.

I'm sad for you, Sir. I wish you strength and peace in this year of great sorrow. God bless.

My civilian understanding of these two diagnoses is, Dementia is a broad category and includes Alzheimer’s. Root causes are different, symtoms largely the same.

Been through that with my MIL. Not an easy time for sure.

I had a year like that in 2013. Mom died, less than two months later a brother died, and three months after that Dad died.

We did get pretty good at the whole funeral thing though, so there was an upside.

Been down the dementia path. It sucks. I am sorry.

It doesn't matter what you call it, dementia sucks. I went though it with my dad. The second time the police found him out on the street I had to place him in a home.

Ronin, so sorry to read this. Hang in there. Things will get better, just keep grinding.

Went through that multiple times in my family; grandmother (maternal), paternal grandfather & father. It's very difficult. Stay strong, take care of yourself, & good luck.

Ronin,

Sorry to hear that. It was difficult to watch my grandmother go down that path for several years. Dementia sucks. Hang in there.

Yeah, life is tough in spots, almost to the point that you think it will never end.

Every time I think I have it rough, then I hear about or meet someone who is far worse off.

Very sorry to hear about this, Ronin.

Wishing the best for you, thoughts and prayers are with you.

Thank you all for the words. Currently we are being introduced to Sundowner's Syndrome. Frustrating, but good to have a name for it. He qualifies under ALL of the symptoms below.

When you are with someone who has Alzheimer's disease, you may notice big changes in how they act in the late afternoon or early evening. Doctors call it sundowning, or sundown syndrome.

Fading light seems to be the trigger. The symptoms can get worse as the night goes on and usually get better by morning.

http://www.webmd.com/alzheimer.../manage-sundowning#1

When someone is sundowning, they may be:

Agitated (upset or anxious)
Restless
Irritable
Confused
Disoriented
Demanding
Suspicious
They also may:

Yell
Pace
Hear or see things that aren’t there
Have mood swings

I'm sorry Ronin, no advice for you, but I will say a prayer.

I'm starting to get concerned about my grandfather, he's starting to show early signs, and his younger brother died just over a year ago. I do not want to see him go through it.

Sorry to hear your news. I've also been down that road.

You're in my prayers.

Ronin, I am sorry all these things have happened to you. You will be in my prayers.

Sorry to hear this. Several family members have been through the dementia/Alzheimer's hell and it's not pretty. Got an aunt that's in the early stages now. Luckily she gave up her car and license a couple months ago.

I want you to accept this in the manner it is given.


You are a Marine, and became a Marine for a reason.

There are many people who deal with this stuff, and some are wholly unprepared for it.

You are not in that crowd, and you know what awaits you, because you are a Marine and trained to spot and and assess an enamy before he knows you exist.

That forsight is a blessing and a curse.

But, you are a Marine.

God Bless you.

My mo went through this for 7 years,
you may still enjoy your time with your step dad.

eventually you will need to address yourself with your name and "your step son"
and more often than not he while give you a big smile.

They hate it when you test them by asking them who this is or where that is,

the constant failure to recall leaves them frustrated and defeated, don't do that.

I came back to the mid west shortly after mom was diagnosed , the upside is that our conversation times increased 7 fold.

she complained more often , but that is easily
tempered. besides , who wouldn't get testy under the same circumstance's
,
take this opportunity to spend more time with them both. I learned a lot that I did not know before