Elder abuse or Alzheimer's for Mickey Rooney?

[TerryJ2]

This caught my attention because when my dad lived in Hollywood and Santa Monica, he and Mickey Rooney used to beat each other up.Normally I'd swallow this story whole ... but considering that my dad will be 90 in exactly 30 days, and 2 wks ago was placed in lockdown at his asst'd living home, and several yrs ago threatened to call the sheriff on my little sister to get his car keys back ... sigh ... well ... what can I say? Very sad, no matter which way it pans out.http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/03/03/actor-mickey-rooney-testifies-abuse-congress/

 

[Star*]

Your Dad and Mickey Rooney used to fight? I don't know if that's cool or scary. I think over the years what I've seen of MR is a declining personality and a lot of anger. I loved him in so many other movies, then when he was in Night at the Museum? He just seemed mean to me. Of course he was acting, but then he was in some commercials and I saw him in an interview and again - just short and mean. (to me).

I'm not sure what to think. I do know that at some point I think at every age progression we (as people) just get tired of younger people and their BS, and I don't know if it's because we realize that adage of 'youth is wasted on the young' or we really just get old, hurt and cranky, or we become our Grandparents. I'm not sure, but if you would have asked me 20 years ago if I would have EVER said some of the things that I say now at 46? No way! No WAY! I struggle very hard to continually have an open mind about my once youthful beliefs and mix them with my grown knowledge. Old age is a witch.

 

[Hound dog]

Haven't read the article but my niece took care of Mickey not too long ago in Williamsburg W. Virginia. Not her job, she runs one of the gift shops there. But he came in barking orders and rather grumpy. She noticed his shoes were untied.....afraid he'd trip on the strings she told him his shoes were untied. Mickey asked if she'd mind tying them for him. Figuring at his age bending over isn't easy.....she gladly tied his shoes. Then asked if anyone had ever recommended velcro fasteners. He thought it a wonderful idea. Then bough several items from the shop before he left to find shoes with velcro fasteners. lol

And I'm sooooo jealous. He's one of my fav people.

Now to read the article.............

 

[donna723]

It's a very difficult situation because a lot of elderly people get that way anyway! When my grandmother was in her mid-80's, she was in a wonderful nursing home for about a year before she died. My brother took over the job of managing what little money she had and worked miracles to make it last as long as she did! I still don't know how he did it! But almost as soon as she moved in to the nursing home, the stories started. She told us that they never gave her anything to eat and were starving her - because she didn't remember eating. She claimed that the ancient old lady who was her roommate would get up at night and go through all her things and steal from her. That poor lady was 99% dead and I never saw her move or even open her eyes once when we were there. Poor old thing couldn't have gotten out of that bed if she had to! And when our pastor went to visit her, she told him that my brother had taken all of her money and robbed her of every dime she ever had! It's so hard to know what to believe. Elderly people can be a very convenient target for someone who wants to prey upon them. And in Mickey Rooney's case it's even more complicated when the person has a lot of money. But how do you know?

 

[klmno]

Or both...alzheimers patients with money could be viewed as pretty easy and vunerable targets with low chance of getting taken seriously. I feel for him either way. I haven't read the article but caught a piece of a segment on some news show last night- he said his family sold one of his best awards- I don't remember which one. My grandmother had alzheiners- the family only felt comfortable once she went to a nursing home because more than one family member checked on her regularly so that provided somewhat of a check system that no one would abuse her and she couldn't blame "everyone" because no way these people were in a plot with each other.

 

[donna723]

That's exactly what I mean! With my grandmother, we KNEW it was all so much BS and a figment of her imagination. But what if we didn't know? What if that were really happening to an elderly person and they told someone and nobody believed them? It makes it very difficult to sort out. I saw part of Mickey Rooney's testimony and, for what it's worth, he sounded pretty lucid to me!

 

[klmno]

He did to me last night, too. But I only saw a fragment. What sticks out to me though is that he was saying his family sold that Tony or whatever award it was. Well, if you're having an alzheiners "moment' you wouldn't recall getting a Tony and might not even know what it was. If you weren't having an alzheiners "mmoment" then you'd remember selling it if you actually did it yourself, wouldn't you? I'm not positive about that but that's what I tend to think. When my grandmother was fading in and out, she either remembered normally or she was somehow in the time of 50 years earlier. She never remembered something from 1 year ago at the same time she was forgetting half of what was reality. It was a time-frame issue- not the same as true and complete dementia...at least that's my understanding.

But all the fammily stories I've heard (mine and others) relate the patient having periods of anger...I think it stems from the frustration of realizing that they are losing that memory and mental faculties that surely would be hard to deal with when a person has moments where they are cohesive.

 

[Hound dog]

Hmmm. Niece did say there were moments of confusion.........that even she as a stranger to him could pick up on. He was having some issues with hotel staff.......not sure what, but was creating a fuss.......which is why she was a tad surprised he responded kindly when she informed him his shoes were untied. She said overall he was a bit unkempt as well. She was worried about that part, as of course it's not something you expect with a star figure. But he did respond kindly to her offer to help.

This is a tough situation with elderly. We even experienced it with mother in law while she was in the nursing home. People were taking her things ect, which we knew wasn't true......because I'd open the closet and the things would be there, she just couldn't get up and check herself.

 

[svengandhi]

I saw him and he seemed on the ball to me. He said he had received two special achievement Oscars and they are both now gone. It seemed sad to me. But what had the ring of truth was when they said that the RO covered the step-son's wife - perhaps she sees him not as a family member but as a meal ticket.

 

[TerryJ2]

Your Dad and Mickey Rooney used to fight? I don't know if that's cool or scary.

I know, lol!

 

[TerryJ2]

Svengali, it could very well be both. He could be a meal ticket AND be suffering from some dementia. But there are good days and bad days.

 

[DDD]

Either way it is sad. I used to serve as a State Human Rights Advocate and monitored all the anonymous abuse calls for children, Department of Juvenile Justice and the elderly from two counties. If it appeared that the system had not responded correctly I had access to the files. Obviously it was a difficult job. The absolutely most shocking reports were elder abuse. I couldn't get over how many relatives not only took their funds and possessions but also left them uncared for and hungry. Often they were left alone for extended periods when they didn't have the capacity to care for themselves. Very sad. That is why I hope and pray that I check out quickly like my Dad did...one massive heart attack...with dignity intact. DDD

 

[TerryJ2]

I agree. Although I've heard strokes don't hurt. Either way, I'm going fast. Easy on me, tough on the loved ones.

 

[muttmeister]

I posted on here a week or so ago about my mother and her ageing issues (She's 96) so I find all of this really interesting. I think one of the things that makes it all so hard is that they don't just wake up one day with problems. It is, in most cases, a vary gradual onset so you don't always notice for awhile. Also, I do think that as we get older, our attitudes change and we get a little more crotchety (or is it just me). Sometimes, especially at the onset of problems, it is really hard to tell if it is a mental problem or just a case of people being mad and fed up and tired of always being the nice guy. Elder abuse happens far too often but it is also true that seniors with problems perceive problems where there are none. I don't know the answers but I definitely know that dealing with the whole thing is not easy.
I told difficult child#1 that when I get that stage he should take me to the vet and have me put down.

 

[4timmy]

My husband's dad had Alzheimer's and he became extremely paranoid. He insisted that people in his apartment complex were breaking in and using his phone because he got phone bills that were $100's of dollars. Obviously, he was making calls and not remembering he was doing it. My Mom is in the beginning phases and makes several calls to me during the day and doesn't remember doing it either. My husband's dad slept with his check book, keys, and a knife. He swore things were being stolen from him all the time because he would misplace things and not remember doing it. It very well could be the issue with MR. My husband had to take guardianship of his Dad and place him in a home. It's very, very sad because his dad did not agree with the guardianship because he didn't think anything was wrong AND he told his appointed lawyer that his son was stealing his money....etc. Sound familiar? Anyways, that's right...sad either way.