Malcolm Young retires

[westen44]

I happened to be watching NBC news the other day when they interviewed Glen Campbell's wife.  Glen is about to enter the last stage of Alzheimer's.  They told her he would now need to be in a facility with 24 hour supervision.  He can't even carry on a conversation anymore.  However, he still plays guitar.  The doctors have encouraged that and said it's helpful.  They showed a recent clip of him playing.  It's sad, but if you're an accomplished musician, it seems it can be used to your advantage in such situations.  From what I've been able to gather, the part of your brain dealing with sense of direction is what Alzheimer's reaches first and the part which deals with music is what is reached last. 

[uwe]

I was actually wondering whether Malcolm can still play guitar (and surpressed a crack that your memory needn't be all that good if you play AC/DC) - if there is such a thing as muscle memory, he probably can. I'd be happy for him because even with dementia it is comforting to do something physically that still feels familiar. Ronald Reagan raked leaves in his swimming pool for ages with the security guys watching over him. Margret Thatcher repeated banal household chores endlessly (if senselessly) because a lingering memory of them had somehow stuck in what consciousness the disease had left for her.

He'll get the best accommodation, treatment and medicine as well as therapy that money can buy. That is consoling even where fate has hit hard like here.

[Granny Gremlin]

My Grandma went out that way.  16 year old me went to Deutschland to see her (living with my aunt at the time) towards the end - before institutionalization was required.  It was so mindblowing.  Physically fine, but all conspiracy theory upstairs (Both my aunts were evil and out to get her, my female cousin was the devil and the family dog was some hellhound - just my mom and her family in Canada, me by extension, were some great shining hope).  She'd run around the yard and squeeze my hand telling me - "see, I'm fine; they're out to get rid of me."  I just didn't know what to do with that.

My mom went to see her just before the end. She had been unresponsive for weeks and  Doctors told her not to expect much, but when she saw my mom her eyes lit up and she said a few things.  Made me sad to ponder the private hell she must have been living in.

My mom  is scared to death of going the same way. 

Anyway, all the best to Malcom.  Peace at least.

[Basvarken]

Sad, but he will hopefully be excellently cared for and not realize his own condition too much.

Sad indeed. But even more sad to realise that he probably will realise his condition. He will start to doubt the whole world as it will become more incomprehensive for him every day.
I read that his short term memory is gone. He can't remember he said hi to someone who has walked in the room just a minute ago.
He'll probably remember most of the AC/DC songs because he has been playing them for forty years.

Wonder if it's actually Alzheimers or (more likely) Korsakov?

[patman]

My dad has alzheimer's...he's 91.

Scares the shit out of me. Every thing I forget scares me even more. I hope I die before I'm a burden to anyone. Seriously.

[Pilgrim]

My Mom passed at 83.  She smoked for 60 years, and managed to realize her greatest fear - she trailed an O2 tank for the last year or so.  She had increasing dementia but was very frail physically, and all four of her kids hoped that her body would give out before her mind did.  We felt it would be much kinder to her, as she was a wonderful, caring person and you just don't want your mom to be helpless. As it turned out, her much-abused lungs and frail body gave out first. Her memory had dwindled to about a 5-minute window or less, but she was still there and still mom.

My family and daughters visited her the winter before she passed (she was 1200 miles away in central Washington, in a very nice senior care home near my brother's family.)  She was very concerned about giving our girls (ages 14 and 15) good advice about how to conduct themselves, and did so about four times while we were there - the same advice every time.  It really drove the point home that she cared about what she was saying.

[westen44]

Sad indeed. But even more sad to realise that he probably will realise his condition. He will start to doubt the whole world as it will become more incomprehensive for him every day.
I read that his short term memory is gone. He can't remember he said hi to someone who has walked in the room just a minute ago.
He'll probably remember most of the AC/DC songs because he has been playing them for forty years.

Wonder if it's actually Alzheimers or (more likely) Korsakov?

If it's Korsakoff's, music therapy may still be effective.  I have a friend studying to be a music therapist and she has had some good results with a Korsakoff's patient. 

[Lightyear]

My dad has alzheimer's...he's 91.

Scares the shit out of me. Every thing I forget scares me even more. I hope I die before I'm a burden to anyone. Seriously.

Mine too.  Dad is 21 days away from 92.  His is still mild but it is getting worse rapidly.  He's now is in a nursing facility for rehab but he'll never get to leave and if so it will be to transfer somewhere else.  His body is failing fast and we believe that is body will give up before his mind does.  Still, like Patman and the others have said it scares the living crap out of me.

[Pilgrim]

Mine too.  Dad is 21 days away from 92.  His is still mild but it is getting worse rapidly.  He's now is in a nursing facility for rehab but he'll never get to leave and if so it will be to transfer somewhere else.  His body is failing fast and we believe that is body will give up before his mind does.  Still, like Patman and the others have said it scares the living crap out of me.

Visit and spend time now, and try to think of any questions about your family history or childhood you want to ask.  That info may still be accessible.

[rahock]

Visit and spend time now, and try to think of any questions about your family history or childhood you want to ask.  That info may still be accessible.

The stuff that happened when Roosevelt was president is like it happened yesterday and the stuff that happened yesterday is like it never happened. So yeah, picking up on things like family history is probably more accessible than it ever was. Sad but true .
Rick

[patman]

About a month ago, I was with dad and he was watching a PBS "music of the big band era" type show.

That afternoon, he was mostly unresponsive, but a clip of Benny Goodman's band came on...there was no intro or anything, just the music and video, and he turned and smiled and pointed at the TV and said , "Benny Goodman".

Was odd how he can't remember lunch, but he remembers Benny Goodman.

[uwe]

There was a good film about it a while ago:

[Pilgrim]

The stuff that happened when Roosevelt was president is like it happened yesterday and the stuff that happened yesterday is like it never happened. So yeah, picking up on things like family history is probably more accessible than it ever was. Sad but true .
Rick

I wish I had asked more questions about those early years.  Take full advantage, and make notes...or bring a recorder.

[TBird1958]

Dementia and other health issues took my stepfather earlier this year, he was a very good, kind man and even though he and my mother were divorced he never stopped caring for her or me and my older brother. He worked as a researcher for NOAA since the late '50s and was very good at his job, retirement was seemingly his undoing, in his last two years of life he couldn't remember me, my Mom was the only person he could remember. He didn't suffer in passing away, he wished to cremated and we (my immediate family) took his ashes to Orcas Island in the San Juans and carefully put the into the ocean at a place we had vacationed at in the 1960s.

[lowend1]

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/glen-campbell-shares-poignant-last-music-video-im-not-gonna-miss-you-20141012