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An Alzheimer's Case with a Tragic Ending The San Francisco Chronicle of September 28, 2000, reported on the
adventures of Roy H., a 78-year-old man with Alzheimer's disease. He had
met his wife of 3 1/2 years while dancing, a hobby that he continued to
enjoy as his disease progressed. His brother had also had Alzheimer's, so
it seems certain that Roy was aware of what was happening to him. Always a meticulous person (he continued to wear a tie every day
even though he had been retired for 20 years), Roy recognized and fought
his memory disability by keeping Post-it notes in his shirt pocket. They
contained his name, address, telephone number, the date, and information
on telephone calls and directions to places. Despite the notes, he had
been lost several times. One time he was lost and confused two miles from
his home and the police, no doubt tired of tracking him down, took away
his driver's license. He was frustrated and insulted, emotions all too
common for Alzheimer's patients as their disabilities close in on them and
they are allowed to do less and less. Rebelliously, Roy continued to drive
until his family took away his car, a typical case of the conflicts that
arise between Alzheimer's patients and their caretakers as the former deny
handicaps that have become all too clear to the latter.
Still undaunted, Roy took advantage of his wife's absence at an
optometrist's appointment to call a car dealer to come and pick him up. He
thoughtfully left a cryptic note for her, "Gone to auto
dealership." When she got the note the alarm bells went off in her
head. Roy had wanted to return to northern California, or to Hawaii, where
he said nobody would take a license away from a man who never had an
accident or a ticket. She started calling local car dealers. None of them
had seen him. Days passed, and there was no word. Then a dealership called to ask
how Roy liked his new car. Part of the mystery was solved, but the dealer
had no idea where Roy was headed with his 1991 Chrysler. Nearly 2 months later a California Department of Forestry pilot
spotted a car in the wilderness down a single-lane road, a road that was
nearly impassable. Roy had always been proud of his driving, and maybe the
road was a challenge to him. He made it to the end, but there the car was
stuck between two boulders. They found Roy's bones at the bottom of a
200-foot drop-off. He was meticulous to the end; his wallet contained
notes, including "Parked under Great Clips," and "Parked
under Golden Donuts." Despite the notes, Roy was lost for the last
time. Roy's story is tragic but inspiring. His death can be viewed as a victory of the human spirit over adversity; Roy refused to give up despite his disability. Perhaps his fate can inspire the families of other victims to see their charges as the people they were rather than the people they become, and understand their struggles to maintain dignity and some degree of independence despite their inevitable deterioration. Given the tremendous burden imposed on caregivers, they need all the inspiration they can get. Last updated 12/19/03 |
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