Dementia comes "suddenly".
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-Dementia only occurs in families with dementia.
-Dementia only occurs in families with dementia, and psychosis only in families with psychosis.
or
-Dementia is caused by not using one's head.
-People who don't study.
-people who don't use their brains, who don't study, or who have a low level of education.
There are people who have assumptions, misconceptions, and stereotypes that dementia occurs in people who don't use their brains, don't study, or have low education.
I would like to start with a brief description of my family.
Family of four, later mother and child
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A family of four: myself (only child), my mother (only daughter), my grandmother, and my grandfather.
I was a mother and a child.
Later, my grandparents passed away.
Later, my grandparents passed away, and I was left with two parents and two children.
My and My mother were the only children of their respective parents, with no siblings.
My mother had only an uncle and a cousin.
My had no relatives at all.
My mother father divorced her within six months of their (arranged) marriage.
The reason was trouble between his parents.
(He was the second son, and she was the only daughter, so they both wanted to keep their own children.
So I don't know the father's face and I don't know how to contact him.
I tried to look him up once, but the Personal Information Protection Law prevented me from doing so.
University graduates, many teachers in the family
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My mother was a high school English teacher for many years after graduating from Seisen Women's University.
After graduating from Seisen Women's University, her mother worked as a high school English teacher for a long time.
She is an only daughter.
She had a violent personality, but she was basically a hard worker who studied hard.
Her grades were at the top of her grade.
She has passed the first level of the English Proficiency Test.
She is a religious person.
Her personality is a bit hysterical, and she has a tendency toward developmental disabilities (ADHD).
After her divorce, she worked as a teacher.
After quitting her teaching job, she worked as a tutor at a cram school, a private tutor, and as an insurance salesperson when she was in trouble.
My grandmother was born in the Taisho era (1912-1926), graduated from a home economics college, had an arranged marriage, married, and became a housewife.
(She wanted to work, not marry.)
(She wanted to be a housewife, not married.)
Her personality is the type that likes to socialize, but she is also religious, and like her mother, is strict about education and spending.
His grandfather was an engineer (design engineer) who graduated from Tokyo Institute of Technology.
He is a good-natured person, but is so absorbed in his work that he does not care about his family or finances.
Does not like faith.
Used in weapons factories.
Designs large grinding machines (grinders) used in weapons factories.
He is a warm-hearted person who likes to do crafts, collects newspaper clippings, and enjoys taking walks.
I am worked outside the office for a while after I graduated from law school.
I'm like my grandfather in terms of personality.
My grandfather's parents
Great-grandfather, principal of an elementary school, adopted by son-in-law
Great-grandmother, oldest daughter
My grandfather has two sisters and my grandmother has a brother.
My grandfather's nephew (my sister's son) is a professor at an electrical university.
There were many school teachers in my grandfather's lineage.
No one is schizophrenic or mentally ill.
No one in my family has ever been hospitalized.
-Dementia can only be caused by a family history of dementia.
-Psychosis can only occur in families with psychosis.
or
-Dementia is caused by not using one's head.
-People who don't study.
-Dementia only occurs in people who don't use their brains, don't study, and have a low level of education.
In fact, this was not true at all in our my family.
It was the opposite.
I was interested in learning, in research.
My family was interested in academics and research, but not wealthy because family was not concerned about money.
The family was always short of money and always behind on payments.
My family also had ADHD, ASD tendencies
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Mother (always late at the last minute, can't keep things in order, dependent, acts impulsively, has no friends)
Grandfather (immerses himself in one thing, does not like to socialize, fights with his boss if he does not like him)
Myself (absorbed in one thing, doesn't like to socialize, can't keep things in order, etc...)
But my grandfather (a technician) and my mother (a teacher)
I've never heard of any mistakes in the work of either of them.
My mother was an English teacher.
My mother was an English teacher, but she was also a student advisor for delinquency prevention.
Teaching and leading speech contests
Teaching students to take entrance exams.
and never received any complaints from their parents.
My mother and grandfather were both
Even though strong assumptions and Asperger's tendencies.
I don't think they were the type to make careless mistakes at work.
My grandmother, who married into the family, may have been a regular person.
She cared about being seen and had no problems with interpersonal relationships.
But in the latter half of her life, for the sake of her daughter and grandchildren, she became addicted to her faith.
She believed in "good roots and merit."
She gave away so many things to others that she was financially ruined,
My mother was a teacher.
She was friendly and polite.
She never smoked, never drank.
She didn't smoke, she didn't drink, she wasn't interested in comic books or movies.
She had no hobbies of her own.
If had to pick one.
"Work is my hobby.
"I like to study.
"Teaching children was my hobby.
She was not good at socializing with others.
She was polite, but talked a lot, don't think She had any best friends.
My great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother have dementia.
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In this one.
Three people in my family have had dementia in a row
Great-grandmother (onset in her 90age)
My grandmother and mother (in school) were the two caregivers
My grandfather was absorbed in his work and did not touch the family.
Grandmother (onset in late 70age)
Cared for by grandfather, mother (on her way home from work) and herself (as a student)
My grandfather fell and broke his hip, and was half bedridden.
My grandfather fell and broke his hip, and was half bedridden, but he only became weak and did not develop dementia.
My mild-mannered grandfather was at home most of the daytime.
He was always there to talk to my grandmother who had dementia.
And now the mother (onset at age 62).
My was living with her mother after her grandparents passed away one after the other.
I took care of her by myself.
and it lasted for three generations.
The direct is
Great-grandmother (eldest daughter) → grandfather → mother
So it's not a genetic thing, because my grandmother who married into the family got dementia.
There was no other dementia in my grandmother's bloodline.
What did this onset grandmother and mother have in common?
The only thing in common between my grandmother and her mother was that they were both "at home" caring for someone with dementia.
My grandfather was away at work, so...
He never developed the disease.
My great-grandmother's severe dementia was taken care of by my grandmother.
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My great-grandmother was an intense and demanding person.
My great-grandmother was an intense and demanding person.
She was also very strict with my grandmother.
Later, when she was in her 90s, she developed dementia and my grandmother took care of her.
She became a daughter-in-law and was made to do the housework.
After all, she had to take care of her mother-in-law.
Even though I had graduated from university, I couldn't get the job I wanted.
She complained a lot about being born a woman.
Marriage, however, was the same as a job, according to the values of the time.
Marriage was like a job that was offered to she by a great matchmaker.
Even if I was dissatisfied with my partner, I didn't want to leave him or her.
She accepted it as a job.
Her mother, who was also a student, helped take care of her when she come home care.
My mother, grandfather, and myself care for a "grandmother" who has forgotten her daughter's face.
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My grandmother developed the disease when her mother was still working.
At first, she was worried that her daughter would not come home.
Eventually, she came home and said to her daughter.
"Who are you?"
"Who are you?" "Don't come in here without permission!
"You're a thief!
"Who are you?
They fought all the time.
My grandfather, my mother, and myself (when I was a student) took care of her.
But she forgot shes daughter's face first.
I don't think I ever remembered her face again after I lost my mind.
She was always a stranger to she.
She treated her like some unknown woman, an intruder, and only forgot about She daughter.
As for my grandfather, he seemed to know him as "the husband."
She kept calling himself by the name of shes brother who died when my was a child (my was an ally).
Originally, her mother had been weak as a child.
She had kidney disease.
In order to cure her daughter's kidney disease, my grandmother went from doctor to doctor.
In order to cure her daughter's kidney disease, my grandmother visited not only doctors but also prayers and fortune tellers.
In order to cure her daughter's kidney disease, my grandmother went through many doctors, prayers and fortune tellers, and joined the Benten sect (the mother religion of Chibetsu Gakuen, famous for Koshien).
It's not a religion that asks for donations from its followers.
It is a branch of Buddhism that worships the god of water.
Their motto is "sincerity, compassion, and mercy for others.
One of the five tenets of the doctrine.
"Good Root Virtue."
An act that should be rewarded with goodness.
By helping others, by giving charity.
By doing good deeds, helping others, giving charity, etc., you will receive reward or blessings.
Good root means the same thing as "welfare" nowadays.
The result of spending money to help others.
The ironic result is that we are now suffering from the "welfare" of this age.
She distributed the wealth he had received from his ancestors to others.
She gave away draperies, medals, and closets to those who wanted them.
She let his distant relatives from Manchuria live in his house for free.
She also took care of his distant relatives from Manchuria until they graduated from college.
She was so devoted to his daughter that he wanted her to be saved based on his fate.
That's how much my grandmother cared about her daughter.
At first I kept looking for my mother, worried about him.
But after she forgot my mother face, she started to see my mother as an enemy.
My mother couldn't accept the situation either.
All mother did was work and never came home.
mother would come home late at night.
Mother and daughter
They fought every time they saw each other.
They shouted at each other every time they had to use the bathroom.
Mother and daughter fought every time they saw each other, yelling at each other when she helped her to the bathroom, hitting each other every time she bathed her.
The grandmother went outside for help. and the mother would bow and bring her back.
More beating, more yelling.
They fought constantly.
My grandmother, too.
About three years later, she died of emphysema.
I woke up in the morning and said, "Oh, she's not breathing.
My grandmother, who had been making normal noises the day before.
She was so upset, asking for help from me and my grandfather.
My grandmother, who had been so distraught and hated her daughter, simply passed away.
My mild-mannered grandfather, who was half bedridden.
He died six months later, and his pension was cut off.
It became even more difficult for us financially.
My mother and I worked together and managed to get by.
The life of a "My mother" who was a teacher
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My mother was a schoolteacher.
My mother was a schoolteacher, but the school she graduated from, Seisen Girls, was an integrated junior and senior high school.
For a while after graduation, She taught at her alma mater for a while after graduation.
However, she left the school after an arranged marriage to start a family.
However, she soon got divorced.
(At the time, my relatives told me that they felt sorry for me because my parents had to separate because of their dispute.
I was still a baby.
Mother needed to work.
She tried to go back to school, but couldn't get reinstated at my alma mater, a private school.
She couldn't go back to work at my alma mater, a private school, and couldn't go back to work at a public school because of the age limit of the prefectural teacher recruitment exam at the time.
She was just barely able to apply.
So, She had a teaching license but could not become a regular teacher at a public school.
She worked as a "temporary/part-time" teacher for the rest of life.
What is temporary/part-time teaching at public schools?
It was a job to fill in for teachers on maternity leave who were taking a year or two off to raise their children.
It was like a temporary job.
No pension after decades of work, and only 50,000yen to 60,000yen a month in basic pension
You cannot become a vice principal or principal.
If work at the same school for more than two years, do I have to become a regular teacher? Apparently there is a rule.
She was always fired just before third year.
But the job description is the same as a regular teacher.
Career guidance.
Monitoring students who misbehave, student guidance
She was also an English teacher.
She was also an English teacher, so I had to help students who were preparing for exams or studying abroad.
Teaching and leading speech contests
She was able to do job without any trouble.
That temporary/part-time position also has its own requirements.
If you are in your mid-fifties, you will be rejected because of the age limit.
After that, I worked as a private tutor, a tutoring instructor, and a salesman (insurance solicitor and gravestone salesman).
She had both ears damaged in that sales job, and couldn't work as a tutor anymore because of that.
My mother also had juvenile dementia... and went to the hospital.
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A short time later, My mother also developed dementia at the age of 62 ...
How did they find out?
One time.
She was told that the tombstone store used to work at was near here.
"I left something important there.
She said forgot something.
The apartment I was living in at the time was in a residential area and there was no such thing as a tombstone shop.
There is no such thing as a gravestone shop.
I assured her that this was impossible.
She ran off to see for himself.
She collapsed in the yard of a stranger's house and was taken into custody by the police.
MRI (mild cognitive impairment)
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I hurriedly made an appointment at the local general hospital for an outpatient memory loss and dementia treatment.
I had a CT scan done.
The hippocampus, which controls memory, was slightly atrophied.
The CT scan showed that her hippocampus, which controls her memory, is slightly atrophied.
She was diagnosed as having MCI (mild cognitive impairment).
Don't fail this time, start my caregiving life alone
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With my grandmother's case.
I have experience in dementia care.
I wondered how people change as dementia progresses, and how families are trapped under the burden.
My grandmother completely forgot her daughter's face.
I remembered my grandmother.
My grandmother was being cared for at home.
Although she didn't wander off, it was still a lot of work for the three of us, her grandfather, her mother, and herself.
And back then, there were no drugs.
There were no medications or supplements available at the time.
The dementia progressed rapidly.
It was like heading into an abyss, like a rock tumbling down a cliff.
At last, she passed away without ever remembering my face.
Mother and daughter are alike.
This is the 21st century, the year 2010.
Don't make a mistake this time.
The world is full of medicines and supplements that are said to be effective and curative for dementia.
"I'm going to cure dementia.
If I go to a doctor, I can get better.
If you go to the government, they should be able to help you.
At worst, even if you're stuck, you should be able to go to a special care facility because you're rated as needing "nursing care level 3".
No grandfather, no parents this time.
One on one.
If your dementia doesn't "improve,"
Take advantage of the city hall, government, and medical systems, and
Don't let yourself be trapped in a "one-on-one" situation at home.
We'll get around it this time. We can get around it.
There must be relief.
With this in mind, I immediately started to take action.
That's when the 10-year struggle began.
In the next installment, "The Middle Part."
What steps did I take after I was diagnosed with dementia?
What was the first thing I did?
Moving out, applying for care needed
Appealing to the government
One doctor's visit, one test, one after another.
A mountain of medication and supplements.
I'd like to talk about what happened as I went from one doctor to another.
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Caution.
I am Japanese. The text is from DeepL automatic translation. Please understand that some parts may be difficult to read.
Final Addendum: September 28, 2021
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