I have only posted here about 2 times in the past 7 years.  My mother was
diagnosed with AD 7 years ago.  Until about a year and a half ago she was
still talking and able to do a lot of things for herself.  Then she had to
be hospitalized a few times for UTI's and she really went downhill. The last
2 UTI's she had were antibiotic resistant infections and it took 2 weeks of
IV antibiotics to get them cleared up.  Mom became less talkative, totally
incontinent and eventually pretty much unable to do much for herself at all.

She was in a 36 bed RCFE starting in May 2003 and last year we had to find
another place for her.  She is in a 6-bed home now and the caregivers are so
wonderful with her.  She almost needs total care now and my sisters and I
are worried that very soon we will have to put her in a state-run nursing
home.  Mom can no longer wear her dentures because she lost too much weight
last year and since she can't co-operate with a dentist to get new ones
made, she is on a pureed diet.  She has to be fed. She is totally
incontinent.  She has to be bathed, dressed and groomed.  She talks very
little and most of it is either gibberish or a few words strung together
that make no sense.  She doesn't seem to know her children anymore.  She
only responds to the caregivers.  She will look at them or smile at them
when they talk to her - nothing for us though.

The mind is pretty much gone but her physical health is not that bad.  We
try to make sure she gets 2 visits from us a week but it is soooooo hard to
see her now.  We sit and talk to her and it's like talking to a wall.  It is
getting so depressing lately.  And we wonder and we wonder....... how long
can she live like this?  We know there is no answer but we wish there was.
When we started on this journey with her we never imagined she would be like
this.

We think there are 2 reasons she can still stay in the Home she's in.  1 -
She still tries to feed herself at times and can get food on a spoon and to
her mouth.  She can also hold a cup and drink.  2 - After she is helped out
of a sitting position, she can take small steps and with a little help can
turn herself around to get in bed.  She can walk by herself.  She is never
allowed to though because she would fall so the caregivers walk her several
times a day.  If she needed "total" care, she could not be in a RCFE.  We
are really dreading the day that she will no longer be able to stay in this
Home.

I have been reading this newsgroup on and off for the past 7 years.  It has
helped so much to know that I'm not alone.  Now I do feel alone though -
there is just nothing left of my mother.  We have tried everything we can
think of to try to get a response from her and.... nothing.  I really hate
this disease.

I guess there really is no reason for this post.  I just felt like I wanted
to connect with someone tonight.  Thanks for listening if you read this far.

~~~~Pat