My father has dementia. I do his grocery shopping. Lately he’s been asking me to buy a bottle of wine. He’s never been an alcoholic but occasionally enjoys a glass of wine while he eats. I believe he has been having hallucinations lately so I can’t see how alcohol could be good for him, but I’m not sure if it would hurt. I will have to ask his new Dr. (his previous Dr. retired).
Speaking of MIL, her PCP recently told her to drink a glass or two of wine after dinner, hoping it would calm her down and help her sleep (anyone following my crazy story with MIL will remember she has not slept since I joined the family in '75)....my DH went and bought her the wine and she would NOT be seen in a liquor store and we don't have alcohol sold at Costco here in Utah.
It hasn't made her sleepy, she reports, but I think at least it takes the edge off her awful personality. My DH bought her 2 bottles and said to make it last (joking)..he doesn't care if she chugged both bottles.
Back in my GGfather's day, he was also told to take a 'tot of sherry' for his blood every night. That was over 100 years ago.
Haileybug---calm down, OK? Caring for the elderly is NOT a one size fits all. We appreciate your comments, but we're all dealing with so many different issues--
LOL Haileybug is calm. : )
Dementia steals so much from them, why not continue with a nightly glass that she enjoyed. And we will all die of something. If drinking the wine has a risk of death then give me more.
If I get dementia, I would rather die sooner than later. And maybe, just maybe, I it hastens deat
We got home together, back to my Mom's place that we were moving her things preparatory to giving up her rooms. Sat together on the sofa having a big glass of wine, and my bro looked at me and said "You know, if I thought that cigarettes would take away one week of my life for every one cigarette smoked, I would take up chain smoking". That good man never did take up smoking, and had to live to 85 facing down Lewy's Dementia.
gladimhere, I am so with you. If I thought that a glass of wine would take away a week for every glass I drank down, you would have to pry the wine bottle out of my cold dead hand.
Thanks for my Saturday morning moment of levity.
Make a little happy hour when you visit.
I am actually thinking about doing that with my LO.. well, maybe just 1 glass split between us ..Not sure how that would effect her.
That's a good suggestion and compromise!
Back in the day when you had to laboriously write out Doctors orders in about 10 places, one of our Docs, long dead now, was very wordy. More so even than me. Once he wrote out an order for his ancient patient that went somewhat like this:
"Mrs. Feundling has long enjoyed a shot of Wild Turkey at 5 pm. Please supply her with same and chart it on her med sheet. If not available from either pharmacy or cafeteria, please leave the 8th floor, take the elevator to the lobby, exit and walk out the front door. Turn right and cross to the corner liquor story and procure same; charge it to the account of H. Kent Montrose who will likely already have quite the liquor tab at this very establishment".
Names changed to protect the innocent. H. Kent was the hospital administrator. Hee hee. You can bet Grace Feundling got her cocktail, or Dr.C would have known the reason why not.
We almost always were able to give a glass of wine to our elders if they were used to that, and it was OK with their doc. I wonder if that's still done?
My bro's Assisted Living Facility always had a cocktail hour twice a week. Dixie cups. Many brought their own favorite glass.
Again, as with most things, always a good idea to pass these things past the doctor.