I have dealt with Alzheimers in loved ones. You may gently mention beforehand that you know this will be a hard visit, but don't expect and coversation from that, necessarily. Focus instead on how nice it will be to visit with his mom and other family members.

Hug his Dad, even when people don't remember who you are, often human contact is most welcome. Bring him some gift - flowers or something to sit on his dresser that will stay after you are gone, so every day, if he asks his caretakers "What is that?" they can say "Your son, Terry, brought you that when he visited."

Find time for Terry to take his mom out of the house for a lunch or some other time away - being the "well" person is a very, very hard job. This visit won't be like any other visit you;ve ever had. But it doesn't have to be all bad.


The worst, the very worst part about having a relative with Alzheimers is silently thinking "I'm gonna end up like that." And it stays in the back of your mind forever. So the repurcussions of the visit may be worse, emotionally, than the visit itself.

Good luck in dealing! You'll be in our prayers.