Re: alzheimers
good one bruce - as I explained in the first thread I think; I have a dear friend in London who is caring for his wife [who has alzheimers] in the home they have shared for many years.
Having worked in mental health services in the past as he has; I am convinced that she is now getting the very best care she could ever hope for. His family have urged him to put her in some sort of home so that he can have a fully life. He will have none of it and although this has seriously curtailed his life, I and he both know that if this ever took place it would kill her.
She would be instantly sedated as she can be a restless soul and a fighter and would probably get into fights with other patients. when the weather is fine they go out and walk on the nearest common and when not able walk around the corridors in the flat complex.
This keeps her bowels moving well. she can still read to herself and often talks to an imaginary friend and accepts her carer who most of the time she does not recognize but just occasionally she does and for my mate these are rare and wonderful moments.
His brothers support him well as he never had kids. She twice "escaped" and was lost at one time for 12 hrs at night wandering the streets of London. The police finally found her and if it happens again the police now have a fast response plan.
So he has now had to turn his flat into a semi-fortress to prevent this happening again. Once she is in bed and asleep she never moves all night and so he can nip out and do some late night shopping or his own walk around the common.
A sad story of course but he is determined to continue to the end whatever that might be without the use of inpatient resources "till death do us part"
my comments on the play: being an ex-musician I did enjoy the music and dance routines but I think you have to take the whole thing in context and obviously the clip was only part of the play. However I do think the whole presentation was an attempt [and good one] of demonstrating the chaos,, confusing and distress that are part of the condition. I think the intent was to show us life through the eyes of the alzheimer sufferer and from that perspective I think it was excellent