Newbie - asking for help for my dad (considering Bredesen)
Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2022 8:58 am
Hello - Thanks for this wonderful forum. I've learned a lot already just by reading others' experiences and perspectives.
A bit of background. My dad (73, overweight, but in generally in good physical condition including regular exercise) was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment two years ago. He lives alone following my mom's death in 2018. Lately, his cognition has clearly worsened. My sister and I are worried, and my dad is too (although his cognition is such that he is not able to notice and understand the differences as well as my sister and I do).
We are considering doing the Bredesen protocol through Apollo health, although the expense is certainly giving us pause. I would be very curious to hear of any reviews - positive or negative - of working with Apollo. We do not yet know my dad's APOE status, but plan to to test soon, either through the Apollo-affiliated practitioner or independently if we do not go the Apollo route.
I have tried to read as much of the board as possible, so that I am not asking duplicative questions. My general sense from reading is that there are ways to implement parts of the Bredesen protocol on one's own (or with the support of a friend/family member), but that it takes quite a bit of effort. Since my dad lives on his own, I think it would be hard to DIY this -- and because my sister and I will support as much as we can, but we both have jobs and young families and thus have limited time. So part of why I am thinking that we should marshal our resources and pay for Apollo is that I do not know if we have the time to do it ourselves. But I welcome any reactions to this.
My other question is about the diet. I suspect that tests will show that my dad is recommended to change his diet and that ketosis would help him. However, one of the few things that keeps him mentally young is his social life. He has many friends and likes to go out to dinner. If he has the occasional indulgence, does it negate all of the effort? Because if so, I don't think we should go down this path. (This thread seemed to indicate that perfection isn't necessary: viewtopic.php?t=7928.)
I would be very grateful for any thoughts. I also have a question about neurofeedback and will post that separately.
Thank you very much!
A bit of background. My dad (73, overweight, but in generally in good physical condition including regular exercise) was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment two years ago. He lives alone following my mom's death in 2018. Lately, his cognition has clearly worsened. My sister and I are worried, and my dad is too (although his cognition is such that he is not able to notice and understand the differences as well as my sister and I do).
We are considering doing the Bredesen protocol through Apollo health, although the expense is certainly giving us pause. I would be very curious to hear of any reviews - positive or negative - of working with Apollo. We do not yet know my dad's APOE status, but plan to to test soon, either through the Apollo-affiliated practitioner or independently if we do not go the Apollo route.
I have tried to read as much of the board as possible, so that I am not asking duplicative questions. My general sense from reading is that there are ways to implement parts of the Bredesen protocol on one's own (or with the support of a friend/family member), but that it takes quite a bit of effort. Since my dad lives on his own, I think it would be hard to DIY this -- and because my sister and I will support as much as we can, but we both have jobs and young families and thus have limited time. So part of why I am thinking that we should marshal our resources and pay for Apollo is that I do not know if we have the time to do it ourselves. But I welcome any reactions to this.
My other question is about the diet. I suspect that tests will show that my dad is recommended to change his diet and that ketosis would help him. However, one of the few things that keeps him mentally young is his social life. He has many friends and likes to go out to dinner. If he has the occasional indulgence, does it negate all of the effort? Because if so, I don't think we should go down this path. (This thread seemed to indicate that perfection isn't necessary: viewtopic.php?t=7928.)
I would be very grateful for any thoughts. I also have a question about neurofeedback and will post that separately.
Thank you very much!