I didn't know Glen Campbell had Alzheimers !

[STEELINOX]

[Grumpy Badger]

Yip. I saw a bit on him on UK breakfast tv a month or so ago and it showed him singing from a script when he couldn't remember "Rhinestone Cowboy"...

Truly sad.

In the words of The Who... "I hope I die before I get old"!

[tattooedfagin]

Originally Posted by Grumpy Badger

Yip. I saw a bit on him on UK breakfast tv a month or so ago and it showed him singing from a script when he couldn't remember "Rhinestone Cowboy"...

Truly sad.

saw that too, sad, but huge respect for not allowing it to stop him doing what he still obviously loves.....been hearing things lately about possible breakthroughs to stave off the illness which will hopefully bring relief to not just the sufferer but the families that care for them.

[Lisa]

It's so sad, isn't it? The day he can no longer play and sing will be a sad day indeed. It's probably very therapeutic for him to continue performing.

My mom's got Alzheimer's - watching someone slowly descend into its grasp is really, really tough.

Strength and best wishes for Glen Campbell.

[paddy_crow]

Originally Posted by Lisa

It's so sad, isn't it? The day he can no longer play and sing will be a sad day indeed. It's probably very therapeutic for him to continue performing.

My mom's got Alzheimer's - watching someone slowly descend into its grasp is really, really tough.

Strength and best wishes for Glen Campbell.

You have my sympathy.

My father is pretty far along. My mother had also started down the same path before pancreatic cancer claimed her life (last January), at least she retained some of her personality. Dad can't put a sentence together any longer, it's pretty much gibberish all the time. LOL, except when he wants to swear at someone, that still comes out clear as a bell. The last six years have been brutal.

[Dr. Robert]

he played guitar on the best album the Beach Boys ever put out....."Pet Sounds"
a very good artist.

[Lisa]

Originally Posted by Dr. Robert

he played guitar on the best album the Beach Boys ever put out....."Pet Sounds"
a very good artist.

Remember the Glen Campbell Show? I sure do!

[hdrazor251]

Originally Posted by Lisa

Remember the Glen Campbell Show? I sure do!

I remember watching that show with my grandparents. I use to see him all the time at Phoenix Suns games in the 90's. Always gracious to anyone that talked to him.

[Lisa]

Originally Posted by paddy_crow

You have my sympathy.

My father is pretty far along. My mother had also started down the same path before pancreatic cancer claimed her life (last January), at least she retained some of her personality. Dad can't put a sentence together any longer, it's pretty much gibberish all the time. LOL, except when he wants to swear at someone, that still comes out clear as a bell. The last six years have been brutal.

So sorry you're going through this. Is your dad in a care facility?

Six years is a long time... and that's one of so many unknowns - how long it will take for the disease to run its course.

My dad died a year and a half ago. My sis and I had no idea how much he did for her - or how bad her dementia was getting - and when he was gone she sort of crashed through to the next level (though she's not where your dad is - her diagnosis is "moderate" dementia). She can't draw a clock; I bet you're familiar with that test. It took us a while to realize that she needed in-home care, needed to stop driving, and needed us to handle her finances and pay her bills. My sister laments, "we never got to tell her (the mom we knew) goodbye."

[gmh1013]

Originally Posted by Lisa

It's so sad, isn't it? The day he can no longer play and sing will be a sad day indeed. It's probably very therapeutic for him to continue performing.

My mom's got Alzheimer's - watching someone slowly descend into its grasp is really, really tough.

Strength and best wishes for Glen Campbell.

My mother is in stage 5 right now and somedays does not know who I am
when I call or know who her husband is....
Im afraid that I will get it also but as much as I smoked when I was younger
may offer some protection from it....I hope.
Just have to worry about lung cancer instead.

[Grumpy Badger]

Sorry to hear that, Lisa.

I guess it's one of the things that could well be harder on the family than it is on the sufferer...

[Lisa]

Originally Posted by Grumpy Badger

Sorry to hear that, Lisa.

I guess it's one of the things that could well be harder on the family than it is on the sufferer...

Mark, that is absolutely true and actually somewhat comforting - to know that the worse she gets the less it will bother her. She is happier and more worry free than she's ever been. (And my sis and I do her worrying for her!)

[Grumpy Badger]

Originally Posted by Lisa

Mark, that is absolutely true and actually somewhat comforting - to know that the worse she gets the less it will bother her. She is happier and more worry free than she's ever been. (And my sis and I do her worrying for her!)

Glad I could help a little!

You hang tough, kid!

[Lisa]

Originally Posted by Grumpy Badger

Glad I could help a little!

You hang tough, kid!

Will do, Mark. There are moments that make us laugh - better to laugh than to cry.

[STEELINOX]

Originally Posted by Lisa

Will do, Mark. There are moments that make us laugh - better to laugh than to cry.

Sorry to hear about your mom, Lisa.

A friend of mines wife has it and one thing he's done was after she was diagnosed, he started carryin around a small "conceilable" tape recorder and tapes her all the time...

[dalip]

My mum played him a fair bit when I was a kid. I still have that same tape. As I lost my mum in my early teens his sound and songs are hugely significant to me.

Very sad to hear.

Lisa...sorry to hear about your mum. Very tough indeed.

[paddy_crow]

Is your dad in a care facility?

He's been in an assisted living facility since mid 2006. The care they provide is phenomenal.

[blackmsport]

the fact of life... when we grow older we lose brain cells and our RAM Cache disappears

some scientists are working on a vaccine for this desease

[jdc]

Alzheimers is a terrible condition some close family members have had it and I have experiences of all the stages.
Mr Campbell is in the early stages, the progression varies depending on the person. When I first got my Dad diagnosed he did not experience any serious change for a number of years but since suffering a fall a few years ago has rapidly deteriorated.
Very brave of Glenn Campbell to keep working, my wife is seeing him in concert tonight, I will let you know how it goes.

[East Bay Rider]

It's a terrible disease that takes everything from it's victims but leaves them physically healthy enough to suffer.
Cruel.

[Lisa]

Originally Posted by East Bay Rider

It's a terrible disease that takes everything from it's victims but leaves them physically healthy enough to suffer.
Cruel.

But I think there are many variations in how the disease takes hold and progresses, Bill. With Mom, for a while she would comment about not being able to remember things - she was aware of worsening problems. But then she got to the point where - viola - she "was fine." Now, she believes she has no problems with memory. And she doesn't notice her arthritis (at least, she doesn't complain about it anymore). This was a woman who, all of her life, was a hypochondriac, a worrier, and a very rigid, controlling person. Now, she finally takes pleasure in simple things - good food, a warm hug, and companionship. She's become a very sweet person for the most part.

Maybe we're lucky. And sure, we don't know what kinds of personality/behavior changes await in the future, but for now she's in a pretty good place, considering. Sis and I might be stressing out on her behalf on a daily basis, but Mom is blissfully unaware now.

[chicfarmer1]

It's true that it takes many forms. Also, dementia is not the same as Alzheimer's although it has similar effects.

For me the most tragic is the early onset variety. I had a friend, a tremendously gifted and somewhat acclaimed musician (very well known in a certain musical community), who suffered from it starting in his late 40s, early 50s. Interestingly, of the elements that started to slip and show impairment, his musical ability was the last. He could still play beautifully when he'd all but lost other communication forms.

[TheVTCGuy]

Originally Posted by chicfarmer1

It's true that it takes many forms. Also, dementia is not the same as Alzheimer's although it has similar effects.

For me the most tragic is the early onset variety. I had a friend, a tremendously gifted and somewhat acclaimed musician (very well known in a certain musical community), who suffered from it starting in his late 40s, early 50s. Interestingly, of the elements that started to slip and show impairment, his musical ability was the last. He could still play beautifully when he'd all but lost other communication forms.

That's incredibly early... and incredibly scary.

[chicfarmer1]

Yes, and I actually sensed something in him when it was just starting, it turns out in retrospect. He just started to not be able to respond readily and jump in and around a conversation. I assume it was becoming tough to get it straight before producing the language. He was performing on Off Broadway then, and it didn't cut into his ability to be with people and do the music. But he just couldn't speak freely--noticeable. I guess it might have looked like fatigue to those around him.

[akiruno]

Hopefully I wont be the only one here who remembers GC from his days on the Hee Haw show...Kornfield Kounty in the 70s.





Sent via SoftBank iPhone using Tapatalk

[ducatidoc]

Originally Posted by akiruno

Hopefully I wont be the only one here who remembers GC from his days on the Hee Haw show...Kornfield Kounty in the 70s.





Sent via SoftBank iPhone using Tapatalk

No, you're not. Don't forget Roy Clark either. Both phenomenal guitarists, RC better, IMO, but Glen was also a vocalist.

[TheVTCGuy]

I'm sorry you're going through this Lisa, my father had a disease that tore him down to a vegitable, it was the hardest thing for any family to have to go through. I don't know if it was the disease itself or the medicine that they gave him in massive quantities to fight it, but either way, I saw him degrade from a healthy-proud man to an invalid in about 10 years. He was always active (like me, although not nearly as much) playing on the company golf team, softball team, in a bowling league, typical stuff. Then he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, it affected his body first, but then his mind, it was a terrible experience.

I'm glad you are finding comfort with your mother and she seems to be enduring the situation well, I hope you have many more good times with her