My dad just moved in with us

[DaddysLittleGirl]

My dad just moved in with us from Oregon he has had ALS for 7 years now.. He is a miracle! Things are very tough though... Last time i saw my dad was over a year ago and he was still walking a little and talking a little. He doesnt walk or talk anymore... When he told me he wanted to come and live with me of course i was all for it! And now he is here he has been here for about 2 weeks now and it is so emotional stressful.. I love my dad to death, he has always been a real Mans man and this disease has taken it all away, all he does is sit in his room and play on his computer, we try to get him out side but he really stubborn he doesnt want other people to see him this way... he gets really emotional at times and violent... I dont blame him at all.. i just wish there was a way that he could get that frustration out better. He has the machine that talks for him but he doesnt like to use it at times and he gets angry when i cant understand what he saying and he just gives up and knockes the computer out of my hand. I have 3 younge children under the age of 4 and its kills me to see him act this way expesically in front of them. My 4 year old understands quite a bit what he going through and she gets very sad when she sees her pop pop get upset.. I just wish there was something i could do to make him feel more comfortbale. I feel like he has just given up... and i dont want him to give up. Thats why we brought him here so he can be around people that love him so much! I break down night after night because i just want him happy it is so hard caring for someone that seems like he just wants to die...... I just dont know what to do ...

 

[vickim]

Could he possibly be having cognitive issues? FTD could be the cause of his outbursts and violence. Have you found him a dr there yet? You may need to get him to one and have him evaluated. I am so sorry you are going through this.

 

[Katie C]

I agree with Vicki that an evaluation seems called for. Even if it's only mild cognitive impairment it could be very frustrating for your dad with all the other issues. Moving to a new environment on top of that was probably devastating even if the right thing to do! Even a small dose of an anti-depressive could be helpful. You might want to e-mail your dad's doc and explain what's going on. The doctor probably won't answer you due to privacy limitations, but will then be aware of the issues during the next appointment.

 

[cervus]

So sorry you're all going through this. You are a wonderful daughter to be helping your dad this way. Although my husband was never difficult in any way, he did say once that he felt bad that his children were taking care of him when it should have been the other way around. Our girls were older going through this. I told him that it was his turn to be looked after. Take care. Yasmin.