Hi there. My mom has Alzheimer's. It is mentally debilitating for both of us. She is my best friend and now our relationship is so different. She doesn't know she has the illness. She doesn't take anything to help her. I am so scared. How are you coping? Do you have support within your family? I want to help my 78 year old mother so desperately but don't know what to do!...Colleen.
I struggled with my Mom for years, I thought she was just being mean & difficult. Until I prayed about it got her a new primary care doctor and told him what was going on. He then refered her to a neurologist for MRI of brain and spine then it showed in her results she had Dementia/ alzheimers. I cried but I kept strong for us, been 3 months now. FYI if she doesn't have life insurance get it if it's affordable to you (before a diagnosis) there is no coverage once that's in her medical records. Just discovered that my Mom only 57 and they won't cover her over 20,000 at $97.00 per month.
I found the medication to be helpful, in that it makes her connect the need for help. I also cook with coconut oil and keep her on a simple routine.
Welcome to the community. Currently there are no medications that reverse the disease. However, there are some steps you can take for cognitive health:
1. Regular physical exercise (at least 40 minutes of walking each day) is important -- exercise raises the levels of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which helps the brain grow and maintain neural connections.
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