progressions... need some care here

[Miss]

Make your move fast. Any possibility you can move in with your father and step mother? She will need that much help in no time.

 

[druithleigh]

My dad was diagnosed in August with ALS. I am 26, and he is 52.
I live an hour and a half away from my dad, and have a feeling I will be moving down with him to help be a caretaker.

I know it's impossible to predict the progression of the disease, but perhaps you can share some stories for me about progress of your loved ones ? I'm trying to figure out how soon I need to drop my job and get an apartment down there...

Right now he is weak in his arms and legs. Can stand and walk for periods of time. Easily fatigued. Slurred speech and speaking in slow sentences. Fine motor skills are starting to go in his hands- hes having trouble unbuttning pants, shirts, etc.

Thanks
A newbie in the forums!

Progression is different for each individual so its hard to gauge when to move closer based on the progression of others. From what I've read it seems like now would be a good time to think about moving closer to your dad, possibly even moving in with him. If he is suffering from weakness in the limbs, then falling is a real concern. The primary concern is that when the speech begins to slur it is usually due to the breakdown in control of the soft palette and tongue,both of which play an important role in your ability to swallow effectively increasing the risk of choking either from food or saliva. Communication is very important. My mother progressed at an alarming rate, just 6 months from diagnosis to passing and in that time it took at least a month of every day interaction to learn the behavior patterns, facial expressions and hand signals that became necessary to communicate later on. There are so many ways to communicate with your dad but eventually with the loss of motor control most of them will no longer be an option so its important to get to know his body language (which will change as he progresses) in order to help him with every day needs. I sympathize with your situation, when my mother was diagnosed I didn't have the faintest idea of what to do but in the last six months I've taken a real life crash course in worst case scenario home care of an ALS patient and I hope that my suggestions can help you, even if its just a little.