None of these fancy diseases is more powerful in late life than the soft touch and gentle loving kiss of a son or daughter.
AFAIK, all brain-based diseases can be very cruel...
Interesting statement. I bet there’s a lot of validity to that.
Maybe you know its truth on a personal level?
My mom didn’t know who anyone was. Not sure I’d call these diseases “fancy”, they are cruel.
Nice-sounding words, but ultimately meaningless.
If you had the courage to more-concretely expand upon that statement of yours (e.g.: "If the [adult] child of a late-stage dementia patient shows that patient love and concern, then that love and concern will demonstrably reverse major symptoms, and the patient will regain..."), it would become apparent even to yourself how nonsensical / unproven your assertion actually is.
I am sure that many other FReepers who have tended their ill parents - often at great personal self-sacrifice - could attest to that.
Abuse and neglect should be avoided, of course, but loving care will not have any measurable effect upon the course of the disease.
Regards,
My Dad was diagnosed with Lewy Body about three years ago. It is a horrific combination of the worst parts of both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. In addition to the loss of cognition and motor skills, there are frequent and sometimes very scary hallucinations that accompany it.
OTOH, as a former scientist, my father has extensively researched his own disease and has come to a peaceful acceptance of God’s will for the end of his life. If ever I am discouraged or down, all I have to do is think of Dad’s loving embrace of his own mortality, and I see how small my concerns are compared to the life that awaits us.
My Dad can begin to pierce the veil, ever so slightly, and what he sees draws him ever closer to our Savior. I wish that RW could have enjoyed the same peace.