Asperger's and Alzheimer's

[illud]

First of all, sorry if that's the wrong forum where to discuss that topic, or if it was already debated.

The thing is, since I've self-diagnosed of being aspie, my dad had said that he also does this or that which are aspie's traits, and it's true he does. I tell him, well I've been telling you might also be asperger's but you don't want to admit to it, he just says, well I just think I behave logically normal as I've always done.

All well, but yesterday he lost his phone. He is blaming that he got distracted. But truth be told this year he's been a bit more distracted than usual and he is considering himself he might have signs of early Alzheimer's. He just turned 60 this year. I've checked for early signs on a trusty website and could be or could be not he has it. My grandma got diagnosed of advanced alzheimer's when she was 80 and she died a year later.
I don't know what to do, shall I worry already? What would I do, how could I help him properly if I'm an only daughter no other relative lives in the same city so couldn't help me much? what if all that causes me anxiety and i can't help like I should?

Has any other aspie had a similar case? what did you do?

 

[Mia]

Hi Illud,

It is likely that if your Gram was diagnosed with Alzheimer's at an advanced age that it might be prevalent on the female side, but not as likely on the male side. I'm no expert.
If your Father lost his phone, it might be simple forgetfulness. That does happen as you age, you have to establish what is normal memory loss and what is the precursor to Alzheimer's.

There are tests that Doctor's will use to discover this at some point if your Father decides that he wants to know. You probably shouldn't worry so much, late stage Alzheimer's takes a long time to establish itself. There are several drugs on the market that slow the disease, and it would be important when it becomes noticeable that your Father may or may not have it.

Eventually he would be tested and a diagnosis would be made, perhaps a drug would be proscribed to slow it down. My own Mother was on such a drug for many years.

It is something that happens to many children with parents, as they age, although your Father is still quite young in relative terms. I wouldn't be so concerned about it right away, and you will be able to help if need be. Doing what you can when the need arises.

 

[illud]

Thank you.

My dad's father also had Alzheimer's he was diagnosed when he was 80 aswell when it was advanced and evident.
They had no daughters, only 5 sons, my dad is the second one.
My grandma had cataracts 15 years prior Alzheimer's diagnosis. The source says it could be a sign (a study was published on Neuroscience about it), and on the yearly eye check the optician told my dad that he saw something in his eye and adviced him to get a better checking at the hospital. He hadn't done so yet. I've read there are tests that can be done to the crystaline lens which may say if one has it or not. If he finally needs to get surgery for caracts I'll request to run that test if possible. Will give us time to be prepared.

He told me himself yesterday. "May i have Alzheimer?" He has been having random forgetfullness this year, forgetting he didn't had the pocket money with himself when going shopping, or cooking something differently than it uses to be cooked. Other cognitive aspects seem to be fine, but his mood is changing -he is turning more stubborn which is a pre-symptom-, he can recall what he's done before he lost something, and tries to solve it quickly. I had asked him if he is worried about something that might be stressing him and causing him the forgetfullness, he says nothing worries him. But this year when he turned 60 he seriously considered moving out to an elderly residence. I was shocked and asked him why, he didn't give me a proper answer, just said, to let you live your life better.

I've seen what Alzheimer's does on my grandparents, I want to be prepared because the years move faster than one thinks, and i want to check the options first instead of letting years pass. I don't think I can help him when it'll be that noticeable, specially on the late stages, and due to my BPI I don't think I can be of much help in that stage because I can't hold or carry heavy weights for long periods, my weight limit on the affected arm is around 6 kilos. I'm an only child, I have no relatives in my city so I can't ask them for help. I just want to be prepared and try to help to stop it if possible. Because as time passes, I grow older aswell and my physicall strength will weaken aswell.

 

[anne.bc]

illud Wow, I came back to this forum at a good time. I also agree with Mia.

My dad... seemed different...when I was growing up.

Not like other dads. Could never really figure it out, so I often felt very embarrassed. You know how little kids poke something with a stick to see how it reacts over and over again and laugh at it? Basically what my dad did. Not cool when you're trying to fit in with your peers as someone diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. That's twice as challenging, in my opinion.

Years passed, he seemed a bit more foggy. When I was in middle school or high school I learned what dementia was, as his stepmom had it and was starting to get noticeable with her diagnosis. Every friday we'd go out to the burger place and she'd still ask what day it was. It was very sad.

Fast forward to when I was in college, 2010. Dad had a spinal fusion surgery for recovery efforts for a bad car accident he was in when I was in 4th grade. He had to take a lot of prescription painkillers for a few months of pre op, and he seems ANNOYINGLY loopy. He was already embarrassing me in years leading up to this, but now it was more "I want to dig a hole so I can hide in it".... and after the surgery he continued to be that loopy. The surgery didn't help his pain either, even with one of the nation's best specialists. At one point he was cleared to drive, which always bothered me. We always took separate cars to family parties. His half-sister's house has been the same house for at least two decades, but one night he got lost on his way to her house for my cousin's birthday and wound up 30 miles away in the opposite direction. This was our wakeup call to tell a doctor. In late march 2013, dad's Alzheimer's diagnosis was official.

My dad had a head injury from falling out of a car as a young boy. Later he was diagnosed with sleep apnea and we think the mixture of those two things did it, and the bad surgery accelerated it. Whatever it was, my AS and his AD is why we cannot get along. My hyper-focus against his deterioration... I moved in with my grandma one year ago to get a break from him (and had just ended a very serious and emotionally and mentally damaging relationship) and while I feel bad, I feel better having space from him. Also, my dad is currently 73.

If this is Alzheimer's, I hope there's a support group in your area that are for people with Asperger's because they will be far more helpful from what I have heard, probably at an Autism center where they have behavioral therapy (which I don't want. I'm fine with who I am, as I am high functioning and well, I have more maturity from my mistakes). So far I can't find one in Fresno, and even though I don't live with dad now, I am still family and would like to make better efforts to get along with him even when I can't stand his habits. Support groups are wonderful and resourceful, and in some groups I attended, the caregivers even have fun events planned for bonding experience. Power in numbers.

 

[illud]

The problem is that my dad had a past of mental health issues in the early 80s... that's years before I was born. He didn't follow any further treatment once he was released from the prior treatment. Back then he asked for a check up himself. He's been fine since then, but for an episode when I was a kid and he went a bit paranoid on the streets but my mom and i managed to calm him down. His father's mother had been in a mental health institution too -i don't know why, for how long, if more than once or whatever, all i know is she was the second wife of my dad's paternal grandpa, and his previous wife was her sister, so I guess that's probably a reason why someone could go mental, but maybe there's another reason-.

Today we went shopping. I used my card and went inside to pick something we had forgotten to get, he picked my wallet and my card then said my card was missing. Then we checked and there were two in his wallet where there should be only his. He looked at the numbers and said both were the same when that can't be possible. He made me go to ask the cashier twice about the card. Twice! He wouldn't let me reason he was wrong and that the second card was mine. And then he started to blame me yet in the shop because of my aspergers. Because according to him I left leaving my wallet unattended, I said, I left it on your surveillance, you were there, you could pick it while I went to pick what we had missed. He's blamed me about the wallet another times earlier for the same reason. Years ago he wouldn't be that bothered about it. That also uses to happen when I'm dealing with misophonia on big spaces, which is getting worst lately for me and it only increases my social anxiety.

I had consulted an instution the past week, they certainly advised me to check on him and see an specialist because he has clear traits of early alzheimer's but could be common traits to something else. :/

I don't know if tell the family at some point soon or once we have a formal diagnosis. :/
If he really has it and is going to go demented before forgetful I'll miss talking to him, I really enjoy the debates we have since I was a kid.

I asked the regional asperger's center few years ago and they don't want to talk unless i have an official diagnosis, they don't seem to be willing to help me get one, they didn't give me any pointers about the process to get one.

 

[Marmot]

3 of my 4 grandparents had some combination of Alzheimer’s and /or dementia so genetically speaking, both myself and my parents are guaranteed the same and I am not looking forward to it because I saw my grandparents very dramatic (and sometime violent) slide from reality and the massive stress that it dumped on my parents to deal with it. It was bad for me to experience even as a child and I know that I’ll be dealing (at some point) with what you’re going thru with my parents not to mention that I’ll then be getting it myself at some point too (and I’m 99% sure I won’t have children when that time does come to at least check me into the home).

 

[Keigan]

Abstract: Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most significant healthcare problems nationally and globally. Recently, the first description of the reversal of cognitive decline in patients with early Alzheimer’s disease or its precursors, MCI (mild cognitive impairment) and SCI (subjective cognitive impairment), was published [1]. The therapeutic approach used was programmatic and personalized rather than monotherapeutic and invariant, and was dubbed metabolic enhancement for neurodegeneration (MEND). Patients who had had to discontinue work were able to return to work, and those struggling at work were able to improve their performance. The patients, their spouses, and their co‐workers all reported clear improvements. Here we report the results from quantitative MRI and neuropsychological testing in ten patients with cognitive decline, nine ApoE4+ (five homozygous and four heterozygous) and one ApoE4‐, who were treated with the MEND protocol for 5‐24 months. The magnitude of the improvement is unprecedented, providing additional objective evidence that this programmatic approach to cognitive decline is highly effective. These results have far‐reaching implications for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, MCI, and SCI; for personalized programs that may enhance pharmaceutical efficacy; and for personal identification of ApoE genotype.

Research Ketogenic Diet.