Re: question from Mom

["Zippo Bilbrok 3.0e8" <jaryan@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

>
> Hi,
>
> I haven't written in a while but my Mom wants to know what the symptoms of
> advanced PD are. My father, Adam, 66/2yrs, also has AD. She wants to know in
> layman's terms what to expect..Can anyone help??
>
>
> Suzanne**
> (Mae's & Adam's daughter..)
>
Dear Suzanne

        I will list the end-stage symptoms of AD, which will be more
helpful for your mom.  Please remember that AD has a Parksinson's
component (in my experience).  All AD patients that I have worked with
have had great difficulty moving.

        In end-stage AD, the person whose dementia was a monumental
problem becomes quiet and docile.  They have great difficulty swallowing,
which leads to multiple incidences of pneumonia.  Eventually (if a
feeding tube is inserted so that pneumonia is not as severe a problem),
they do not move at all and require repositioning in bed at least every
two hours.  Bed sores become a problem.  They are incapable of speech and
essentially do not interact with their care givers in any way.

        Pneumonia is the eventual killer in end-stage AD.  These people
lose their ability to cough, so they are unable to rid themselves of the
mucus that accumulates in their airways.  Death comes peacefully.

        For all of those PD folks that are reading this, please keep in
mind that I am discussing Alzheimers disease.  As a side note I would
like to add that I often wonder how many cases of AD is mis-diagnosed as
PD because of the movement disorder component.


 ------
Peace
Mary Ann