So bummed out about seeing someone with so much energy and spirit have that slowly sapped away. No more Golf, no more fishing, no more solitaire, no more anything really. Has anyone found anything to engage their loved one(s)mentally and/or physically? All Dad wants to do is sleep or sit in his chair with the TV on, not really watching TV. He doesn't call any of his family anymore(maybe he can't) or his friends. It seems like the 'lights are on', but is there really nobody home? Is there anything that could spark his interest or are we just treading water at this point? This is so frustrating to endure.

Ronnie,
Has your Dad been evaluated by a good psychiatrist or neurologist who deals with AD? Depression can be part of AD and a neurologist or psychiatrist can prescribe the right medication if they think one would help.
Also, depression can masquerade as dementia in the elderly. I'd look into that if he hasn't been seen by a specialist yet.
How about a senior center or adult daycare?

Has your dad been diagnosed with Alz? If so, what stage do you think your dad is in?

What symptoms and behaviors are you seeing?

Here's a good description of each stage of Alzheimer's:

http://www.alzinfo.org/clinica...zheimers-disease.asp

I don't have an answer for you. Just wanted you to know you are not alone. After my mom's diagnosis, about 6-1/2 years ago, she moved into my home for a year. I tried to get her to go to adult day care during the day and she flat out refused and fought me all the way. So I hired someone to be with her because I work full time, and all she would do is sit in her chair and "watch" TV, with her eyes closed. She used to be such an active person, I just couldn't believe this was the same person. I tried so many things including begging, but she simply refused to do anything. I became burnt out after a year of her living here with me, and she moved in with my sister. Now, she is in assisted living. My guess is she is in stage 6 now. I see her every other day. There are activities planned throughout the day; she rarely gets involved. By the way, my mom went on antidepressants shortly after her diagnosis.

I guess all I'm saying is for some people with AD, I think this is just how they deal. I feel like my mom "goes somewhere" in her head. I did read something at one time that said that we need to step into their world and not try to pull them back into ours...easier said than done.
be well
Miriam

My dad is probably stage 6 and after being a "health nut" his whole life suddenly wouldn't stand up. He's been in a wheelchair ever since, closes his eyes a lot even when he's awake and won't converse with others in the NH unless someone asks a direct question. I think this is just the way his form of the disease affects him. I feel he has no life except when I visit (or family comes from out-of-town). The shame is he has a very nice roommate who's much higher functioning, but I'm not sure my dad is even aware of him. I think the only way to lessen the frustration for us is not to judge his life by our standards. Sometimes I bring a cd player and if I ask he says he wants to listen to music, but I'm not sure he even pays attention. Maybe it does distract him or do him some good, or maybe it just makes me feel like I'm doing something for him.

When my husband reached the 6/7 stage he would sit for hours at the table and shuffle playing cards around. He didn't need a deck, only a dozen cards would intertain him. I neve did figure out what he was trying to do with them but they kept him busy.
Another thing that kept him intertained was greeting cards. For awhile on the forum we had a program call GLO where we sent cards to others with AD. I would put all of his cards in a basket and he would look at these cards over and over. Even at the end he would look at the cards and try to read them. About the only thing he recognized was his name, but he would at times see a picture and show it to me.
A third thing was checkers, not with the board, just the checkers. He'd move them around on the table and then try to stack them in piles. If you try the checkers, use the big 3" checkers. DH would put the smaller ones in his mouth and I was always afraid he would choke on them.
The last thing I used was a stuffed monkey. We referred to it as "Boy" and he would always get a smile on his face when I gave "Boy" to him.
The ideas above were all that would intertain him for the last year. He would spend the day sitting at the table in front of the window and intertain himself with these things.
I tried moving him into the living room with a table but that always seeded to make him agitated, so back to the dining room table he would go.
During the last year he was going through all this, he was confined to a wheelchair with me having to transfer him with a hoyer lift, and he couldn't move the chair without my help. He always seemd content and that was most inportant to me.

Can he stand? Have you tried Wii games? They have golf. It might make him feel better. Also, there are fishing games, like the one that has kind of a reel on it and you cast it and reel it in. It makes a plopping noise and a noise like a fish thrashing around when you catch one. I had one that even vibrated when it "caught" something. I played with it all the time.

Sports Illustrated? Even if he can't see the text he can see the pics.

My dad is kind of in the same boat, although he won't play games and he can't see well and his mobility and dexterity are limited. I'm going to take someone's suggestion and see if I can find some bird house kits for him to build. Maybe some large puzzles. I'm going shopping for him today.

I can relate to your problem. In fact, do check back if you find something that works for you. It might help others.

My dad is the same way. He is 86 and is in stage 6. He doesn't initiate any activity except for sitting in his chair and watching the television. We have gotten him to do some shredding from time to time. I will also try to get him to do some work around the house, like helping me empty the dishwasher or clean off the table. There are some days that he is more open to doing things that others. He used to be very active around the house and outside in the yard but he has no interest in doing those things anymore.