Yep, I have a considerable investment in firearms and I categorize them as expendable and investments.
But we digress and maybe this is a topic for a separate thread. It’s more important that we help the OP with his current challenge.
Yep, I have a considerable investment in firearms and I categorize them as expendable and investments.
But we digress and maybe this is a topic for a separate thread. It’s more important that we help the OP with his current challenge.
You sir are to be commended on the way you handled this delicate situation. My mother in law who is 96 years old has just started showing early symptoms of dementia and has a 32 revolver that was her late husband. It’s a Harrison Richard made in 1906. She ask me to take it to my gunsmith and have him to check it out. He found some minor issues with it but had the parts to repair it. When I brought it home she had me put back where she keeps it I unloaded it and put the ammunition in my gun safe so far after a year or so she hasn’t mentioned anything about it. It is very difficult to tell anyone anything when they are in that state of mind. Very well handled sir
You all have great ideas and suggestions. Something hit me hard it was my husband who has Alzheimer’s. I tried hard to protect him from everything and everyone. So when you have to start to make those big decisions it hurts because you need to protect you, and ensure everyone else is safe around. This disease is not a path that anyone needs to walk. So thank you for taking and talking about what those families can do and how they can make those decisions easier. Because the may have not thought about it or just don’t want to ask for help. So thank you because I am living and it is a challenging road. So those of you who also living it please ask for help that may just getting a suggestion from an instructor or friend in USCCA.
Thank you
Thanks and welcome to the forum. MAGA
Great topic. This thread should be picked up and developed into an article for a gun enthusiasts magazine.
Like USCCA’s Concealed Carry
Welcome to the community!
Welcome to the community! Sometimes these are decisions that need to be addressed but needs to be done.
Of course, I hope my kids never have to deal with me as an Alzheimers patient, but regarding firearms, I have made it easier for them to “deal with” my equipment when the time comes.
I have a detailed spreadsheet that keeps a running total of how many rounds of ammunition I have, what kinds there are and the price/round. The spreadsheet also details all the other ancillary firearm equipment I have purchased, including dates, prices and quantities, and how much is invested in each particular firearm in its current configuration.
The spreadsheet also includes any recurring subscriptions/memberships my survivors should cancel.
Sadly, my kids (girls) and wife have no interest in firearms, so I hope they will at least be able to get out of any sales most of what I have invested in firearms and ancillary equipment. (Which, by my calculations, is CONSIDERABLE. )
My dad was a Professional Trap Shooter. When he died he owned a Ljutic and Perazzi that were both factory, custom fit for him. In the end he used a release trigger, said it kept him from flinching. My mom called me and said a guy offered here $1,000.00 for both, together they were worth closer to $25,000.00. They are out there, scumbag bastards that will take advantage of the unknowing. She eventually got a fair price.
That’s what I’m talking about. Sure, everyone wants a good deal, but taking advantage of survivors at a time of weakness is just wrong. If the survivors want to offer a package deal just to get rid of everything, I get it, but at least they will know the potential value going in.
I can’t get Alzheimer’s or dementia because I had them when I was younger and built up an immunity
Thank you everyone who responded and Enzo_T thank you so much for sharing this information. Your personal experience really hits home and I think what you did is exactly what I will do. I don’t want my dad to feel like he can never shoot again and I think how you handled your father in law would work for my father. I was planning on waiting till our Hunting Trip in November but now I think it makes more sense as everyone suggests to have this conversation now, collect the firearms out of the home and follow through how you did and have those trips to the range.
I’m so glad I could help. It’s been a few years since I lost my FIL and I still think of him just about every day. He was a huge influence in my life and that extra time spent with him was priceless.
BTW not everything is downhill from here. Strong men will surprise you with their ability to pull humor out of even the worst times. And there were some really funny times while we dealt with his declining mental state.
One thing to remember, regardless of what the doctors tell you, YOU know your dad best. This is essential to gauging how you’ll deal with him every day.
For example, the doctors told us that my FIL was going to be unable to handle complex subjects or explanations, and to keep answers to his questions as simple as possible so we would not overwhelm him with things unknown to him or too much information. This rattled my wife some and she was unsure of how to deal with it. In summary she overthink the crap out of it…
So he used to love just coming over to my house for dinner and a movie, and he also loved Animal documentaries. So one of the nights we gave mom a break so she could go out with her girlfriends my wife and I fed him dinner and then we all sat on the couch to watch some Africa plains documentary.
In one of the scenes two cheetahs take off chasing after an ostrich and he leaned forward paying really focused attention to what was going on on the screen. All of a sudden he asks out loud, “What the hell kind of bird is that?!?!
My wife stricken with panic looks at me and before I can blurt out Ostrich she says “Turkey!”.
My FIL takes a second, turns around to face her and says, “What are you NUTS! That ain’t no F@#$ING Turkey!!! Then he turns to me and says, “Dear God is she dumb or what? How do you live with her?” And goes back to watching the show.
My wife was speechless and I was in PAIN laughing…. He just kept watching the show with a smirk on his face.
So there are some good times ahead you can look forward too, made all the sweeter because now you will appreciate them even more knowing that there is an element of urgency to doing so. Hope all the best for you.
Thank you sir, I talked with my mom tonight and let her know I would be over in the morning to speak with my father. I have a feeling he will say his favorite phrase which is “Mann tracht un G-tt lacht”, which is Yiddish for “if you want to make G-d laugh, tell him him your plans”. Which is what he said after he and my mom told me he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
Good luck, that will be a tough conversation. But if you feel he is becoming a danger to other people, then you need to do something. Another option would be to disable the guns if that is possible - remove firing pins, sears, etc.
Truly. Caregivers have to make time to keep themselves healthy both physically and emotionally. Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s or any age-related infirmity is hard, unrelenting work.
One of the cruelest things spouses can do to each other is making “the promise.” When you make your spouse promise to never put you in a nursing home – something many couples do – you condemn them to a life where changing diapers, dealing with irrational cognitive outbursts, monitoring medical care, sleeping with one-eye open for that emergency in the night and all manner of things that significantly diminish your loved one’s quality of life.