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I beg to differ regarding the needs of the woman in the article. Someone in the early stages of Altzeimers that can still get around is in a very precarious situation. They are the kind of person that believes they are still capable of doing everything. They think they should still be able to drive and still get out on their own. And they try, and they get lost. They think that they can cook, but then they forget they are hungry after they have already turned on the stove. These people need *constant* supervision, just like a 2-year old. It is very dangerous for them to live independently. If her two sons were still working, there is no way they could leave her at home while they were out.

On the other hand, like you say, they claimed that they were putting her in the nursing facility until they could hire a home health aid to watch after her, but there she was, 9 months later, still in the facility, which sounds fishy.

I also don't think that a nursing home was the best place for this woman, given her physical abilities. Nursing homes are the last resort for those that can no longer get out of bed by themselves. If her sons couldn't watch her full time, they should have either hired a sitter or found a highly-monitored assisted living facility (full time or day-care), which is cheaper than a nursing home and has all kinds of daily activities and allowances for those with impared short-term memories.

But, I suspect that there is more to it than what is in the story above. Assisted living facilities, which would be *much* better for someone in her situation, are private pay and they don't accept Medicaide (welfare). By putting her in a nursing home, they could claim she is cash poor and get the taxpayers to foot the bill.

I beg to differ regarding the needs of the woman in the article. Someone in the early stages of Altzeimers that can still get around is in a very precarious situation. They are the kind of person that believes they are still capable of doing everything. They think they should still be able to drive and still get out on their own.

Exactly. My friend's father drove his Mercedes through the plate glass front window of their ranch house while in early Alzheimers. He became so agitated when they removed the car from the premises that they brought it back & put it in the driveway (without a few critical inner workings.)

They had money for round-the-clock aides (3 shifts.) Not everyone is so lucky.

God preserve me from having to experience it but from what I hear, it can be a terrible time for the family *and* the afflicted person.

Thanks for a very interesting and informative take on early Alzheimer's. (BTW, every time I forget something, my wife shouts, "Alzheimer's!")