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Submitted by PatientsEngage on 20 September 2016

Mr. Shankhadeep Mitra, 40 finds it difficult to communicate with his mother but the mother struggling with Alzheimer’s is still happy to see her son.

When was your mother diagnosed and what were the early symptoms?

2014 was the year when she was diagnosed. My mother used to be very social and interactive as a person. Then the relatives started pointing out that the level of interactivity was gradually going down. She felt less confident and began to grow more dependent on me. She also started forgetting simple words and then stopped recognising known people.

Is there a history of Alzheimer’s in your family?

No

What is her present condition?

Partial loss of memory and oral communication. Basically she is at a loss for words.

Please describe your experience of managing your mother

She is unable to understand all the words and is only able to recognise specific names/sentences. So communication has to be made simple and at times it’s hard to make her understand certain situations.

What were some of the challenges you faced and what is your advice to caregivers who face similar challenges?

My main challenge is communication with her. Caregivers need to be very patient. They also need to correctly assess the behavior of the patient before handling them. This assessment is very crucial in caregiving.

Since you were not a trained as a caregiver yourself, how did you manage?

Develop skills like hand movements to make her understand and gaining knowledge through different case studies. 

How has this been a learning process and what changes have you had to make to your lifestyle because of this?

I am still trying to balance my life and as of now she is able to manage herself. She looks forward to my company.

Has it been difficult emotionally to cope with her condition?

Very much.

What was the hardest part of being a caregiver?

Developing skills all by myself, I face communication challenges daily, and I need to understand by my self what she is referring to. 

How much support did you get from your family and friends?

Not much as none of them had faced such situations.

How would you say the ARDSI support system helped you?

ARDSI Kolkata counselled me and interacted with my mother to understand her issues. They had also advised for a psychological assessment for my mother.

Personal narrative courtesy ARDSI Kolkata

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