I was my father's caregiver for over eight years of Alzheimer's. He was a very intelligent man (Member of Mensa), so the disease was especially cruel for him. He also believed strongly in the right to die with dignity (He was a member of the Hemlock Society), but in Kansas we do not have that right.

He was an otherwise very healthy man, so he endured long after his quality of life had dwindled away. He died alone in middle of the night in a poorly run nursing home. I sincerely wish I could have helped him find his way out.

Its hard to find people who are willing to make the decisions but they need to be made.
We think "putting down" a suffering pet is the most loving thing to do, but we think extending the life of someone who is suffering, or has become a non-person-they-were, is wrong. Thats a part of humanity we need to overcome.

Wow. My dad died three years ago from complications of ALZ. We got "lucky" in that a kidney infection took hold, otherwise I can only imagine how bad it would have gotten. He had a severe case of Capgras Syndrome, which made it even more of a challenge. It led my daughter and I into many conversations of how and at what point I would want her to do something - or help me do something - should I develop it. Detailed, open and honest communication seems to be the only way to deal with it.