Scott and his college paper

Both Derek and Scott have written papers about Alzheimer's. My guess is the reason they liked the subject is they know someone personally who has been affected by the disease.

As part of Scott's research, he conducted an interview with me. So I thought I would share it in case it would be an interest to any of the readers.

1. What type of questions did the doctors ask when Grandpa went in to see if he had mild memory loss or severe?

A. There were a range of questions, but some were like: How many kids do you have? Can you tell me their names? What town are you in? Draw a picture of the face of a clock. Now put hands on the clock to show the time as 1:45. Can you spell "world" backwards?

2. How many questions did he ask and how many did grandpa have to answer right to have mild, moderate or severe?

A. I can't remember how many questions but the top score was 30. When he first took the test in Roundup in February of 2006, he scored a 19 and the doctor then said he could continue to drive - although I thought that was scary. A year later he scored a 14 and the doctor in Mandan said he shouldn't drive and that someone should be with him 24 hours a day so he did no harm to himself - such as get lost - or to our home, such as leaving a hot plate on or the water running. It wasn't hard to talk Grandpa into not driving because he gave it up when he moved to Mandan. I guess he didn't want to study for the test to get a North Dakota drivers license.

3. What are the treatments that they have for memory loss patients?

A. Grandpa is on Arricept and Namenda, which I think have kept his condition probably stable over the last two years. However, I don't think he has gotten any better.

4. What are different things you do to keep his mind exercised?

A. We play Scrabble, listen to familiar music, such as Johnny Cash and Flatt and Scruggs, read books together, and I've put together a PowerPoint with names and pictures of his family, including his parents, his deceased spouse, his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. We are currently reading a biography of Dwight Eisenhower, written by Stephen Ambrose. Dad's obviously a very good reader. We've also read Undaunted Courage by Ambrose along with a slug of westerns by Louis L'Mour and Zane Grey.

5. How long has Grandpa had memory loss?

A. We first noticed it during the winter of 2004 when we were playing card games in Roundup. He could play cards, but if you went from Phase 10 to Rummy, he couldn't easily make the switch because he had forgotten the rules. Same thing with Pinochle. My sister Janet's the one who told me we should get a doctor to look at him. We tried that in the summer of 2005, but the doctor was the one who didn't seem to know what he was looking for. Instead of memory loss, he tried to treat Dad for fibromyaligia, which Dad doesn't have. Dad simply has worn out the cartilage in hands and wrists, but that's treatable with an Advil in the morning and at night. As Beagle could probably comment on, the doctor we saw in Roundup wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer.

6. What are the positive things about living with a person with memory loss?

A. Every day is a new beginning. If you had a fight with him the day before, all is forgotten. It's a pretty good philosophy for all of us. Take each day as a new gift from God. You can't hold a grudge if you can't remember what happened yesterday. Also, you learn to trust your caregivers because you really have no choice. My Dad has given me the power of attorney for him, and that's an immense responsibility as I can control almost every aspect of his life. My brother and sister (Ar Vee and Penny) have the scars to show for getting Dad to sign the Power of Attorney paper, but we're all glad he did now.

7. What are the negatives?

A. You feel like your losing your father, because he can't remember the old familiar stories that helped form you when you were growing up. Dad can't remember that he worked on a dairy farm, or in the coal mines or on the oil rigs...and he's forgotten the anecdotes about his military service that he used to like to share. He was a boxer during World War II and found some rubies when he was stationed in India, but that's forgotten now.

8. What are his medications doing for him and how do they work?

A. I told you the medications and I'm not sure how they work. I guess they excite the neurons in his brain, because a doctor once told me that reading will excite his brain better than any medication.

9. Any other useful information?

A. Some people with Alzheimer's turn mean and they have to be sedated, which really changes their personality. In fact, one guy we know seems almost like a Zombie. In Dad's case, his personality hasn't really changed. Since his wife died, I think he is more relaxed and more at peace. However, he still can roar like the Dad of old - especially if you try to make him do something he doesn't like to do, such as go to church or eat asparagus.