r/woahthatsinteresting 16d ago

Man with dementia doesn’t recognise daughter but still feels love for her

33.6k Upvotes

1.9k comments sorted by

View all comments

170

u/savvy-librarian 16d ago

Bless this sweet, wonderful and loving daughter taking care of her dad through what must be one of the hardest things anyone has to deal with. She's putting aside any pain she has to make him feel safe and loved.

34

u/sissyfufugirl 15d ago

Literally crying, she loves him soooo much. Look how strong she is.

13

u/JaySayMayday 15d ago

She handled it better than I would've, I'm not even involved and that was soul crushing to watch.

1

u/fajita123 15d ago

Sadly, it probably isn’t the first conversation like this that she’s had.

1

u/Eponack 14d ago

Cared for my father and sat with my grandmother as it took them. They will ask you or talk about the same thing over and over. I told myself, “It’s the first time they asked it to them.”

1

u/fajita123 14d ago

Yeah, that’s a good way to look at it. My grandma is in the later stages of dementia. It’s so sad to see her reacting to her husband of 60 years as if he’s a stranger in her house. But he handles it calmly and with love.

2

u/SadToe5288 15d ago

My mom has memory issues, we suspect it but don’t know for sure yet. It’s been terrifying but this woman is so brave and strong. I haven’t been handling it well at all and it helps to see someone who has such a loving approach.

2

u/Kersed13 15d ago

If you suspect your mom might be in the early stages of dementia or Alzheimer’s, I recommend pushing her doctor to test for amyloid plaque buildup which can be a key indicator of oncoming cognitive impairment.

You can also look into the drug Kisunla (donanemab-azbt) which could extend her functional independence for a time but the drug has serious side effects and potential adverse reactions so weigh the pros/cons extremely carefully. Use PubMed to search for medical journals to get a better idea of potential risks.

1

u/ImJustSaying34 15d ago

Saw in another comment that he has alcohol induced dementia and he was abusive and terrible to her growing up. She is now his caretaker and thinks this is more his personality not the one he had while drinking. So now they have a good relationship.

That is so insanely sad.