Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Sigh

Look, sir. I think it's great that you want Mom to be able to reach you.

You're obviously a devoted son, and I respect that. In spite of Mom having advanced Alzheimer's disease, you're doing your best to take care of her.

Wanting her to be able to call you at any given time is a noble idea.

BUT

Let's face it. Mom can't work a toaster. So buying her an iPhone was not a great idea.
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14 comments:

  1. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2011 at 8:42 AM

    Alzheimer's has a familial tendency, doesn't it?

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  2. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2011 at 9:04 AM

    Does wanting to buy her an iPhone have something to do with it being released during the Jewish Holy Week?

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  3. Grumpy, M.D.September 28, 2011 at 9:08 AM

    No he bought it a month ago and brought her in to see if I could help explain it to her. The other was a separate, random, observation.

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  4. Alpine, R.N.September 28, 2011 at 9:11 AM

    my mom DOESN'T have alzheimers...she's just a terrible luddite...and can't work an ipod much less an iphone :-p

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  5. PackerSeptember 28, 2011 at 10:00 AM

    This mornings counterpoint brought to you by: Packer.

    Grumpy, I am sure you were kind and gentle, but understand that children of aged parents oftentimes grasp at straws in their effort to prolong their comfort and dignity. MIL is 87, M is 91, both in decline, but I see the children rallying to put themselves out so each can (to this point) live in their own home. Which means lawn, laundry, shopping, visits, cleaning, bathing , transporting. Time is fleeting, letting go is difficult.
    Grasping at straws is harmless, unless there was a lousy plan.

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  6. Li'l AzathothSeptember 28, 2011 at 10:57 AM

    "But maybe it has an app to cure Alzheimer's. Or maybe her head will be bathed in its healing rays. After all, it's an Apple product."

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  7. a.generic docSeptember 28, 2011 at 11:38 AM

    Just goes to show the variation in your patient population. One wants to know if you've heard of an MRI and the next one you write about wants you to teach his mother to use an iphone.

    (BTW... is explaining the iphone now a question on the neurology boards?)

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  8. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2011 at 12:00 PM

    He meant well. Grief is a wacky thing He sounds desperate at the loss of his mom. Sad situation all around. Heck, giving her a phone that can have pictures of people to help her dial might be a good idea. It might just be a very expensive paperweight/bingo app player, but its safer than giving her a toaster to play with. Would never occur to me to ask a neurologist to teach a patient how to use their phone though.

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  9. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2011 at 3:50 PM

    Is there a Toast app for the iphone he wants her to use?

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  10. Misterio VidaSeptember 28, 2011 at 4:26 PM

    hmmm... i watched that movie "doctor in the house" really enjoyed it and now i saw your blog and liked the title and here i am ...seems like a nice blog with nice posts :) liked it....

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  11. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2011 at 6:15 PM

    Heh, my mother does not have Alzheimer's disease, and she can't work email. Hell, she never learnt to program her VCR!

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  12. PollySeptember 28, 2011 at 7:39 PM

    It took my mom a solid decade to figure out e-mail, and some doofus clerk sold her a smart phone. I mean, she's elderly, ditzy as hell, and a complete technophobe, so why wouldn't you? Luckily she's gotten into the habit of using the store's help line when she can't remember how to turn it on--serves them right.

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  13. CarysSeptember 28, 2011 at 8:10 PM

    I'm not old and I don't have Alzheimer's but I still can't work an I Phone.

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  14. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2011 at 9:41 PM

    GAH! So that is why that old lady calls my wife's cell 10 times/day asking for her son.

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So wadda you think?