The hardest part

My grandpa has alzheimers disease. Every time I see him it gets a little worse. The hardest part is watching the effect it has on his mental health. He knows that he keeps getting a little worse. He can't put his sentences together which makes him embarassed to communicate. He often asks if someone could give him a brain. My grandpa is the greatest man in the world kind, caring, generous, and wonderful in every way. I sit back and watch this HORRIBLE thing begin to take over. I feel so helpless. I am supportive in every way but I just I could make it stop. I try not to think about this to much becasue I break down every time.

Please let me know if I am doing this correctly.  It is hard to imagine, but I am a retired teacher who has never posted to a chat room.  I have an 82 year old mother who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's for about 5 years.  I am finding it very difficult to deal with the continual deterioration that I see almost daily.  The guilt is also difficult to handle.  Have I done the best for her (she now lives in a nursing home)?  Is there something more I could be doing to help her and keep her from getting worse.  Any ideas or suggestions would be very welcome.

I remember the frustration watching my grandfather slowly go downhill. MY grandmother and Aunt took care of him for as long as they could. We took him to an adult day care for awhile to give them a break and it was a nice thing for them both. We did put him in a nurseing home 2 years ago. He is now tied in a wheel chair. I use to think that was awful but I also thought seeing him fall trying to climb things or just fall walking was not so great either. he doesn't seem to mind.
He was quite a pest when he was first there! I walked in one day and he came running out of a room holding his head. The lady in that room apparently didn't want him there so she bopped him in the head with her cane! He was always taking things apart, toilets,doorknobs, he was very good at helping some of the woman get untied from their wheel chairs too!
He still talks some. Always asks for me. He says wheres Cindy? I tell him right here and he says you aren't her. So I tell him she loves him and misses him and he seems happy with that answer. I do take some comfort in the fact that he has 5 children but it's my name he remembers.
This has been so sad to watch. My grandparents raised me and I hate what this has done to both of them. My grandmother wants to go see him every night and it's getting harder to get her there. She can barely walk. But as long as her mind is good I could never take her there. I know she is afraid that her kids will want to put her there. No way. I guess she'll have to put up with me!
Take care and God Bless all of you going thru this.

It will be a year this August since I lost my grandfather to Alzheimers.  It was the hardest thing I've ever had to watch.  My grandfather was like my father and I've a really hard time with this.  I gave a year of my life to help him and he did not even know who I was.  He cried all the time.  For the longest time he knew something was wrong with him but did not know what.  Then we totally lost him (mentally).  It really was the saddest thing I've ever seen.  I think about him everyday and I am very glad I was able to be there for him as much as I was.  But it still hurts.  He was the greatest man I've ever know.  He will always be my hero!  Airy