July 11, 2022

I spoke to the neurologist today about the results of John's MRI. She said he has generalized atrophy that is consistent with more advanced Alzheimer's Disease. In this context 'generalized' refers to finding no particular pattern of the atrophy. There are also mild white matter changes in one area. That's not particularly noteworthy because it's consistent with the results of someone with migraines. There was a lot of atrophy in the right side of the Hippocampus, which is the memory center. This is indicative of the fact that his Alzheimer's is far along, especially for his age. The Dr said that when evaluating the extent of disease, it's important to couple the results of the MRI with John's behaviors. Recently John's behaviors have been worse. He was particularly difficult to deal with on Saturday. He was yelling at me loudly when I was showering him, he was mad about everything I did, and he was aggitated all day. Weirdly, he was more reasonable the next day. He's also requiring more and more help completing ADLs - Activities of Daily Living, or the tasks of everyday life. Basic ADLs include eating, dressing, bathing, and using the toilet. For activities he can still do on his own, he often needs supervision. And it all makes him mad. The Dr encouraged me to hire help for the most difficult tasks, but that's expensive and I don't think he'd receive that well. That time will come but I hope to delay it longer as the costs only become more staggering over time.