Pat Summitt Diagnosed with Dementia

[MTK]

You know I've often wondered, for those who are near the end of their lives is it worse to know what's going on, or worse to have no idea?

[GMScud]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

You know I've often wondered, for those who are near the end of their lives is it worse to know what's going on, or worse to have no idea?

It's a good question. My grandma is 89 years old, and she is sharp as a tack. Still loves to drink a manhattan and poke fun at my mom and her sister. But her body is really starting to fail her, and she gets really frustrated and upset.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by GMScud

It's a good question. My grandma is 89 years old, and she is sharp as a tack. Still loves to drink a manhattan and poke fun at my mom and her sister. But her body is really starting to fail her, and she gets really frustrated and upset.

One of my buddies Grandma lived to be over 100. She was still mentally with it til the end. She always said she was ready to go, all of her friends were gone and she just wanted to go. I've gotta think that would be a miserable way to live out your last years.

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

You know I've often wondered, for those who are near the end of their lives is it worse to know what's going on, or worse to have no idea?

I don't know. My grandmother had it for the last 12 years of her life and you could certainly tell her frustration, but I don't know really what she must have been feeling.

I felt awful (as did the rest of my family of course). All my grandparents died when I was very young, basically a toddler. So the only one I knew was this one grandmother (died when I was in college) and she and I would write letters to each other every week (this is when people wrote letters). And we'd talk every Sunday.

For her to suddenly have no idea who I was was just devastating. It's hard enough to see someone you love sick, but then to have them not recognize you....brutal