Page 66 - FDCC_AgingParents

PATIENCE, PLANNING AND SUPPORT: REFLECTIONS ON DEALING WITH AGING FAMILY MEMBERS
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is the entire family dynamic. If your mother always handled the financial aspects of the family, for example, your father will need to learn how to do so. The partnership between our parents must adjust, which also means our role within the family may need to expand to fill the gap.
Life is changing for the loved one with memory issues. But it is also changing for the whole family.
who will try. Brain capacity cannot be fixed once it is lost; however, the speed of degradation can be slowed down. The faster you can become proactive, the better.
Be open to alternative
3. Do your research. If you are going to assist with your parent’s medical treatment, you will need to study up and be a knowledgeable source of information. Medical doctors will take your input and suggestions much more seriously if they know you did not get your information from Wikipedia or WebMD but from reading actual studies. This will help you ask about new treatments or inquire about the impact or side effects
of recommended treatments. Some terrific podcasts like Peter Attia’s Drive or the Huberman Lab share cutting-edge research and thinking, including around Alzheimer’s Disease.
4. Look for a doctor who treats your parent’s memory issues as unique. Some doctors will throw up their hands and say there is no treatment and that decline in all cases is inevitable. Avoid them. Look for those few specialists who treat the disease as it should be treated: as unique in each individual and capable
of at least being slowed down if caught early enough. Do not give up. And do not waste time finding a doctor
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treatments. Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia have minimal traditional
treatment options. Three primary prescription medicines are available, each with varying effectiveness and sometimes worse adverse impacts than the disease. Those doctors who try to arrest the disease’s progression often rely on nutritional supplements that reduce inflammation or lifestyle recommendations like exercise. They are open to considering those because those are their tools.
Be proactive for your future, too. If your parent has memory problems, you are more likely to get them later. The best treatment we have is prevention, and visit a doctor to get tips on preventing or delaying the onset of any disease.
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M.C. Sungaila is a Partner with the Complex Appellate Litigation Group in Newport Beach, CA. Contact her at: mc.sungaila@calg.com.