This is to address the beer issue more than dementia. But I was caring for my 93 year old uncle in his home while he was also in the hospice program. He was bed ridden with breathing issues mainly. He was quite lucid and a joy to be around. He did however love his coffee brandy. So much so that I had several stores I shopped at to avoid seeming like I had a problem myself with such consumption. My uncle had been a tea totaler all his life, only allowing himself an occasional class of port after he began caring for my aunt who developed dementia and passed a few years prior. Some people were outraged that he should drink at all and what seemed to be, and would be for a younger person, a bit too much. But that really was all he had left to enjoy other than some conversation and the newspaper. He said it also settled his stomach. He enjoyed later a nightly beer and a plate of cheese. (Cholestero?l horrors!). He passed a little over a year later. I had left by then to return to care for my mother who had had a mild stroke. And believe me we wished many times she would prefer an evening glass of wine to relax with. But nothing doing. We would have all had a more pleasant time of it during her last months with us.
My husband had dementia, CHF, and a number of other conditions he took medications for. Both his wonderful geriatrician and the neurologist who followed his dementia said alcohol was fine as long as it did not increase his chances of falling, and to limit it to 2 a day.
So he had an imported beer at the German restaurant. He had his favorite beer as he watched baseball on television. He had a glass of wine once in a while with a meal. He was never a problem drinker and it didn't cause problems now. It made him feel a tiny bit more "normal."
My husband had a terminal disease. Giving up alcohol was not going to cure him or add quality to his days. I tried to hang on to any bit of "normal" life we could.
I would do anything I could to bring him enjoyment, as long as it wasn't harming him.
I have a friend who talks of how much her mother enjoyed mimosas in the nursing home. She had dementia and that was a highlight for her. Her daughter showed up with the drinks and served them on holidays and birthdays.
I'd be looking up his meds on the Internet to see their real interaction with alcohol with the intent of deciding if I could give him a beer EVERY night. The doctor saying an occasional beer is fine leads me to believe a beer a night isn't a problem at all.
Hell yes. Two a week? Two a day probably wouldn't hurt but don't let it get out of hand. You can also check the alcohol content. Lots of light beers are pretty weak and there's lots of good non alcohol beers.
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So he had an imported beer at the German restaurant. He had his favorite beer as he watched baseball on television. He had a glass of wine once in a while with a meal. He was never a problem drinker and it didn't cause problems now. It made him feel a tiny bit more "normal."
My husband had a terminal disease. Giving up alcohol was not going to cure him or add quality to his days. I tried to hang on to any bit of "normal" life we could.
I have a friend who talks of how much her mother enjoyed mimosas in the nursing home. She had dementia and that was a highlight for her. Her daughter showed up with the drinks and served them on holidays and birthdays.