[Sherryanne]

My grandmother is 91 years old and is displaying preliminary signs of alzheimers. She forget's everything, like where she put her glasses, or keeps the stove lit. She is also extremely emotional and paranoid. She also seems to be losing her inhibition as she has told me and other grandchildren some really obscene stories, and periodically will use graphic language.

She lives next to our house, so though we are not primary care givers, we do experience these problems on a daily basis and has begun to take an emotional toll on her primary care giver.

A GP prescribed prozac for her which gave her severe symptoms like shaking and loos of appetite. We also thought she was a bit dellusional.

However, the situation is worsening and we are once again thinking about medication. Is this a safe option or do the risks outweigh the benifits. Tho she may not be the sanest of people, we do not want to sedate her beyond recognition.

Any thoughts would be appreciated....

[InACorner]

i think at this point she may need a nursing home. I work in one and they arent as bad as people think..just make sure you get a good one...that has a good rep....plus most nursing homes have different units..one unit would be for alzheimers while ones for rehab and another for long term care depending on what state she is in....she is getting up there in age....and id be wary of leaving her alone....if her doctor did say she has alzheimers then she could be dangerous to herself or others....not to say anything against her but it is her disease,,,,and old age is dangerous in itself for frequent accidents...falls and such and being 91 its very hard to come back from that. By the way, my heart goes out to you..my step grandfather has alzheimers and it is very difficult to watch the ones you love in such a difficult situation....my heart goes out to you

[PetulantWolf]

I wonder if a specilaist may be in order. Do you have a lot of confidence in the GP?
Is your grandmother on any other meds or drinking alcohol? Has she added any new meds?
Im not a doctor but we just did Alzheimers in my MA program and were told that onset in your 90's is unusual...and to check the medications first.
In any case Im sorry about yor grandmother. It is difficult to see someone you care about deteriorate like that.

[PetulantWolf]

</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
InACorner said:
i think at this point she may need a nursing home. I work in one and they arent as bad as people think..just make sure you get a good one...

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My uncle was very old and tended to wander away, but my family worried if they put him in a nursing home he would be upset becasue he was so used to more freedom..

They could not have been more wrong. He LOVED it. My father visited after a few days and the first thing my uncle asked was "How long do you think they will let me stay here?"

i think she needs a thorough medical checkup(like with an internist)......it could be dementia and there are some meds that could help her. good luck, xoxox pat

[MissCharlotte]

When my aunt was 89 we finally had to make the decision to have her live in an assisted living facility. It was a good decision. She was no longer safe living at home and although she balked at first, she came to love the place. She was also exhibiting signs of alzheimers. Her physician put her on Aricept, and I do believe it helped her. You might want to ask doc about that.

Good luck