Anyone else? I 'm referring to the Exelon patch commercial. I only saw it for the first time a few days ago. Its focus is on a daughter taking care of a mother. Now, I have never been in that position, but....
It seems to be a household of mother and daughter with a beautiful golden retriever in the into shots.
Daughter has a daily calendar. Dresses Mom in a cardigan set, complete with pearls. The journal reads 8ish or so am. Mom put on the wrong shoes- oh this is funny (sarcasm)- much smiling- daughter gets Mom shoes more appropriate for a walk. They walk, they look at Mom's vanity full of photos, maybe they walk again- then they go over photo's. Exelon? ASK THE DOCTOR! (Written and posted.)
Everthing is perfect, and clean, and everyone is smiling. Someone must come in to take care of the dog who is never seen again.
Lots of hugs and smiles. This, the commercial advises, is mild-moderate AD.
I realize they would never come to my house to film. (Unless I get a free makeover- anyone remember Bad Baths on HGTV?) By 8am H has been up and intermittently pacing since about 2. Then some sleep. Then he dresses in a suit and tie and reflects on his past. (Oh sure.) Then from 6 to 8 pm, pacing again. I cook, mostly for my own release. Every ten minutes he comes toward the kitchen. " I am doing- chopping, braising, reducing, whatever: I will bring your your plate in ___ minutes." Ten minutes later he is back again. I say the same things again. Repeat, repeat, etc.
I took advice from these forums and am sorry I cannot remember now who said bedtime is at 6, so I cook on an earlier schedule mostly so the day will end earlier.
H shuffles around, mostly looking blank except for an irrational moment sometimes infrequently, sometimes more often.
OK, H has FTD not AD and I am just frustrated.
A view, I think, of dementia that will not be shown on a tv commercial.
You are so right. Never would show one of us and what we do, that would make most people run screaming to the hills. This commercial is one of the reasons why most people don't get it about AD!
There was so much outcry about the original Aricept commericial showing the grandfather who could not remember his grandaughter's name, and then after Aricept, everything was hunky dory, that they changed the commercial to include disclaimers about how it can't change the course of the disease, and how it only improves symtoms. They're still all crappy commercials that couldn't possibly show reality.
Same with the ads in the magazines. Smiling younger woman (daughter) standing behind smiling older woman (mother). Impeccable clothes & makeup……..yeah right!
I hate it when acquaintances ask me if DH is taking the any of the the drugs fo AZ. After seeing those commercials people think there is really a drug to solve our problems. They just don't get that this a terminal disease and can't be stopped.
yhouniey, yes. People DO think that the AZ drugs can cure. I, as nicely as I can, tell them exactly what Aricept & Namenda are supposed to do. Like you said, it's what the commercials show,but it's actually what it doesn't tell you. Oh sure it tells you that it can't change the course of the disease, and how it only improves symtoms, but do people really listen to that? I agree that if people actually saw how we live it would be a rude awakening!
Yes ElaineH and the other part that is left out is that the drugs only work for a period of time and then they don't anymore. We often keep going with them for fear that if we stop them then the rest of the gates of hell will let loose on us.
Or we could tell them that SOMETIMES the wonder drugs only make matters worse as they did in our case. There again like they say 'if you've seen one alzheimers patient you have seen one alzheimers patient'. I think the same goes for meds.
Definitely not reality and I think it makes people think Alzheimer's is "not that bad." They can't show the real side of Alzheimer's, it would freak people out to much...