Dr. Woodberry, its a gut-wrenching decision, and there's a lot to consider. My mother's descent into Alzheimer's began early, 20 years ago when she was in her mid 60's. Her symptoms began as simple little questions like "what day is this...is it Saturday...?" This quickly progressed to mom loosing her way around town, driving her car. We solved that problem by removing a battery cable....but still. If one's never been down this path, you don't really know what to do or how to handle it...and the last thing you want to do is consider the alternatives. After a few years of trying to decide the proper path, mom set her house on fire as a result of a kitchen accident, (left home with the stove on) she lived alone. At this point, realizing the severity of the situation, I took mom into my home. On two occasions she got up in the night, let herself out of our house, and "left". It's pretty scary to wake up in the morning, and realize your mom is lost. Where do you start looking? Fortunately, we found her, both times, across the street, at the neighbor's. There were other scary experiences, but the bottom line, and the realization, for me: 1. care taking in such a situation is 24-7. Nights, holidays, Saturday's, Sunday's, makes no difference. 2. You can't do it. Many have tried, and tried rotating family members in and out. Again, you can not do it. 3. Because you can not do it, you are endangering your loved one. They are much safer, and well cared for by a trained, and equipped facility. It's not an easy decision. My mom has not spoken a word, and has not had any cognition for the past 9 years. She sometimes smiles, but that's all. She is still at the facility, and we, the family, could have NEVER lasted this long, and have cared for her on this level. Naturally, there will be some disagreement among friends and family members, and not everyone will be "on board". But, there's really not a better choice. Let me close by saying I watched Sam race since I was 13 years old in 1967, and think the world of him. My email address contains the number 00 as a tribute to him. On some forums my handle is "DoubleZero" again as a tribute to Sam. In my opinion, Sam Ard is as 'good as there ever was...'
