Hi...My name is Heather and my father was diagnosed at the age of 64, although the signs were apparent a few years before the diagnosis. I am struggling today because his 66th birthday is tomorrow and he flunked his eye test today at the DMV and they took his license away, which crushed him.

My father has always taken care of his family and he is a proud man and it is hard to see him progress. Right now, he is well, but he has trouble reading and writing. He can not deal with numbers either, which is very difficult because he is still the breadwinner for my mother and youngest sister. He is on Aricept and it seems in the past year it has been stable--this is a good sign.

I live out of state, but will be going to his doctor's appt. with him and my mother next month. I feel like he is not doing everything he can to help himself. He does not practice reading or writing, and he also needs glasses. I think that these issues combined caused him to flunk his eye test. I think this may be the wake-up call that he needs, but what can I do to help? I was thinking of getting some workbooks for him--numbers and letters so he can practice, but I do not want to belittle him. Does anyone have opinions or suggestions?

Thanks...

Heather-your father will never "relearn" or "improve" by studying--it is just part of the disease. I know you want what is best for your father, but making him study is not going to help, it will actually more than likely frustrate him. However, the longer he keeps up with his routine, like work, the better it is. The more he uses his brain, the better.
And there are immense safety issues with driving. Since it was his "eyesight" that caused the problem, a visit to an eye doctor, and glasses may help with his functioning.
You are very lucky that your father is capable of still working. I would use the Alz.org website to learn more about the disease, its progression, and the legal matters that need to be taken care of. It will give you ideas on what you can do to help your Dad and other family members too.

Heather: It is true that he cannot relearn, he cannot practice. It is a myth that AD comes because of an idle mind, that mental stimulation will avoid or improve things. His brain cells are damaged and there is no reversing that. There are meds that help some people sometimes to slow the progress. You will have anger, rage & frustration, feelings of being inadequate and helpless. The only things you can do to ease those feelings (they won't go away completely) is to work with the disease. It is important for you & mom to understand what he is going thru and how to respond to him to keep calm in the house and try to avoid conflict. The web site below will help you to understand what is happening to him. Start by reading 'what you need to know.' At the same time, I would not discourage you or anyone to do any research, read any books, do whatever you can to help find a prevention, a better way to cope. I'd also advise that you do not spend time worrying about aluminum, mercury fillings, or any other part of western modern life. AD has been around for centuries, long before any of these things existed. Good luck, sweetie. Don't hesitate to ask anything here.