Father's Day: Remembering Dad Before Dementia

My father developed instant dementia because of a failed brain surgery. The irony, of course, was that this surgery was supposed to correct the results of a World War II brain injury and prevent the possibility of dementia. This abrupt change was devastating to my family and very difficult for us to accept. One day he was my dad. He was growing older and frailer, of course, but he was still Dad. After he came out of surgery, he was a man plagued by paranoia and hallucinations; a man who had no way of differentiating between our reality and the warped version his brain created. Read more on Agingcare about  the struggles that manage caregivers face when they try to reconcile the memories of their dad before and after dementia: Support a caregiver or jump-start discussion in support groups with real stories - for bulk orders of Minding Our Elders e-mail Carol                    Related StoriesSon's Misunderstanding of Dad's Mild Cognitive Impairment BurdensomeUncooperative Elder Who Doesn’t Want To Work With Therapist Frustrates CaregiverHow to Join Membership In Dr. Kernisan's Helping Older Parents Group at a Discount 
Source: Minding Our Elders - Category: Geriatrics Authors: Source Type: blogs