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I’ve been going through an emotional ride full of guilt with my father and need someone to speak with in a similar situation. Guidance, help, anything to speak with someone without a PhD that has dealt with this. If feels like I’m alone in this situation.


thanks for reading

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Thank you for the replies. Countymouse, I will check out the site. He was an alcoholic for 55 years, not lives in memory care and is miserable wanting to go back hone and live along in an alcoholic community in the country. We simply cannot allow that. We have guardianship and POA. It’s just been very hard to face him when we visit. He’s 79, gets around well and speaks clearly with perfect old memory recall. He cannot remember short term things well at all and is missing about the last 20 years completely.

like people have for foments and ALZ (who I lost my mother to at 65 with early onset). I’m looking for a place online to chat about this disorder.
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The Alzheimer's Association has a specialist section on Korsakoff's. They recommend the Family Caregiver Alliance as a good resource - go to https://www.caregiver.org/wernicke-korsakoff-syndrome

I don't know enough to say anything specific and encouraging except this - you are definitely, certainly, NOT alone.

Please keep in touch and let us know how you're getting on. Even if we don't have matching experience to share, as they say "when you've met one person with dementia, you've met one person with dementia." True whatever the underlying cause may be.
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I have seen in my 33 years of nursing (time flies ) that’s it isn’t always caused by alcoholism...I had a lady severely malnourished that developed it ,,,Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome is caused by a deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B1). In the United States the majority of causes occur in alcoholics. Alcohol reduces the absorption of thiamine by the body, diminishes stores of thiamine in the liver, and hampers the activity of the enzyme that converts thiamine into an active state. 
The disorder may also occur due to malnutrition. Causes of malnutrition that may result in Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome include starvation, eating disorders (e.g., anorexia), prolonged or chronic vomiting as found in certain disorders such as hyperemesis gravidarum. In addition, chronic disorders such as cancer, AIDS, disorders of the stomach (gastropathies), and kidney disorders requiring dialysis may also cause Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. 
In some cases, hereditary factors may cause some individuals to have a genetic predisposition to developing Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. However, more research is necessary to determine what role, if any, genetics plays in the development of the disorder.
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I might have got this wrong, but I thought that Korsakov’s was usually tied up with alcoholism. I searched, and it says that it can usually be stabilised if drinking stops. This site might help:
https://www.ozcare.org.au/dementia-care/understanding-dementia/types-of-dementia/korsakoff-syndrome/

If you don't get personal comments on this site, it might be worth asking AA if they have something similar on line. I am sure that you are not alone, it's just a case of finding the right place to connect.

Sympathy and best wishes.
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