Art back and Depression in Loved one

MaryEllenDaughter

So my Father had a fall, a slightl slump to the floor really. They sent him to the Emergancy room at the hospital, He checked out fine. He had been in his memory care facility for 1 month, so they want to get him checked out. He is in a very dark depression. Some of this preceded my Mother’s death in September, but the changes have been so very overwhelming for him. I am hoping that his new med helps the depression. He has a good Neuropsychiatrist and APRN at the facility is in constant touch. He had been adjusting fairly well until this, not he is just so very sad. The nurse told me he is at the stage where he understands his memory issue but feels very helpless. He just wants the memory to full out leave.

How have others delt with depression with a parent? I am looking for a therapist myself but have not been able to find one. It is overwhelming.

Emily 123

Hi,

They put my mom on lexapro, which works well for her. Sometimes the right meds and giving things time works out. He's had a lot of changes in a very short time (as have you). Without a good short-term memory to help him recall new information it must be disorienting for him. He may just need more time to settle in-it took my mom 3 months to get into a routine.

H1235

I think my mom is in a similar stage. Her memory is ok, but she thinks she can do everything she did 20 years ago. She doesn’t understand why she needs to be in AL and feels depressed, angry and hurt to think that I would do this to her. Mom sees a counselor. I’m really not sure how much good it does. We have also tried medication. The medication she had been on for years( long before dementia) was not enough so they added something else. We tried that for several months but it wasn’t helping. She also was moved to AL and we weren’t sure how that might affect her mood. So they eventually took her off both and added something new. Of course the new medication had to be started at a very low dose and couldn’t be increased for a month. The transition time between these medications was awful! She is finally to a point that she doesn’t start crying over any little thing, but she is still depressed. They have increased the dose a few times now (a month between increases) and I think they need to do it again, because she is still very depressed. It’s hard to have a conversation with her. If I tell her I worked in my garden, she give a big huff and says it must be nice. If I tell her about the grandkids visiting she complains she hasn’t seen them in a long time. If I tell her my husband and I went out to dinner she says your dad and I used to go there. Everything I say seems to upset her. It is so hard.

MaryEllenDaughter

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/230764#Comment_230764

Thank you. He is on Lexapro and Wellbutrin, plan is to titrate off Wellbutrin and add remoron. It has been so hard

MaryEllenDaughter

It is so hard to see him this way, he has stopped eating and drinking. I hope the meds help him.

MaryEllenDaughter

I think the title should have been set back, ugh hate when I typo. Thanks all. Talked to the Psych APRN today we have a plan to titrate one med and add another stronger mood stabilizer.

housefinch

A friend’s dad attempted suicide and needed hospitalization, medication, and ultimately ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) for dementia-associated depression. His depression improved but not surprisingly his dementia continued to progress.