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Dear Friends: Thought I should update you on what's happening with my father's dementia/ paranoia. I took the good advice and sought counseling,using my husband's EAP (Employee Assistance Program) as my mother didn't feel it would help her personally. Unfortunately even though the counselor was someone I had seen in the past for other problems, I guess my expectations were unrealistic. I didn't learn anything new and he sympathetically told me I could only do so much, etc. I did, however,realize it was time to step in a bit more boldly and I had a conversation with dad's neurologist. The neuro had been away for several weeks and my folks were awaiting his return to possibly readjust dad's meds. Before their apptment I spoke to a nurse in his office to document exactly what kind of confusion/paranoia/ dementia he'd been having, as I realized it would be difficult for her to be explicit in front of dad and she might not give enough information. After the apptment, the doctor called me and gave me "not great" news. Since he and the doctor they saw while he was away had tried small adj- ustments to dad's sinemet and it had resulted only in more rigidity and just as many if not more episodes of paranoia, etc., he has concluded that the PD is actually affecting those areas of the brain that control the paranoia, dementia, etc. The only help he can offer is an anti- psychotic drug called RISPERDAL which I think is to help keep him calm. BTW my mother was aware I would be speaking with the doctor. They got the prescription filled today and dad told her he'd rather not take it...very calmly. She's not going to push it, maybe he'll take it tomorrow. Has anyone out there heard of or taken Risperdal? Doctor says it's new and not supposed to cause the Parkinson symptoms that some older ones are said to. Any advice on getting him to take it? I'll admit I'm disappointed. I guess I was hoping for a fix of the sit- uation. I'm now going to try and concentrate on his quality of life (and mom's, too) when he is lucid or at least not upset. I'll be eagerly awaiting your responses from tonight until Aug. 26, when I'll be traveling to California for 10 days or so and will be "turning mail off" temporarily. Betti Adams - Betti S. Adams [log in to unmask]