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Sudden personality change in my grandfather

Brain & Nervous System | Last Active: Mar 29, 2022 | Replies (14)

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@tavi

My heartfelt support to you, @secaries for reaching out to try to find out more about what is happening with your Grandfather. First and foremost, please remember that whatever is happening to your grandfather, it is his disease that is is causing him to change and not the Grandfather that you know to be kind, sweet and gentle. My husband is about your Grandfather's age and was diagnosed with dementia approximately three years ago. We have been challenged time and again with changes in his behavior - including anger, hallucinations, and, similarly, his belief that I planned to leave him to be with a friend of his. The path has been immensely confusing for me but always more so for my husband as he tries to navigate in his changing world -- I encourage you and your family to reach out and don't be shy about asking questions -- we've all had many experiences and I know that it helps me to be able to share and reflect on what has happened to my husband with others in this forum. There is much to understand and deal with -- it takes great energy and everyone here has provided me with good support as these changes have occurred in our lives. A specific question I would be asking with regard to your grandfather are the medications that he is taking and how effective they may be in helping him with his behaviors. For right now, we've finally identified a good mix for my husband but in the course of getting here there have been some meds and/or combinations that effected him poorly, causing hallucinations and/or not addressing some of the underlying issues. I welcome you to participate with us, freely ask questions and do wish you the very best with your grandfather.

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Replies to "My heartfelt support to you, @secaries for reaching out to try to find out more about..."

Hi @secaries. I want to emphasize the good advice here from @tavi and urge you to pull your family together to jointly find ways to unravel the facts about your grandfather's unhappiness. Most important is to figure out how to have a comprehensive discussion with him about his view of his current situation and his near-term future. Second, the family needs to have a list of medications that he is taking or being given every day, every week, and every year (since meds often get spread over long periods). The "medications" list should also include non-prescription products, such as nutritional supplements and those advertised as designed to treat or ameliorate a condition that the patient believes is affecting him. The list needs to be reviewed by a medical doctor. Third, persuade him to have a complete annual physical; in current practice, the costs are covered by Medicare for preventive examinations and treatments without question and without charges against Medicare supplemental insurance.

I'm past 80 myself and have had the sad experience of watching my dad, his only sibling, and his mother all descend into dementia and -- after many many months of care -- eventually drift away in their 80s to their final resting place. They always thanked us and apologized for being a burden to us -- for being angry or subdued -- until they no longer realized their plight.