80-Year-Old Man Kills Wife, Himself, Sheriff's Officials Say

[Lou_C]

80-Year-Old Man Kills Wife, Himself, Sheriff's Officials Say
The Associated Press
Published: Jun 4, 2004

NAPLES, Fla. (AP) - An 80-year-old man fatally shot his wife, then killed himself while on the phone with a 911 dispatcher, sheriff's officials said.
Collier County Sheriff's deputies found Rose Nash, 83, dead in the couple's home in a quiet, mostly retirement-age community in Bonita Shores. Her husband, Bob Nash, was pronounced dead at North Collier Hospital, officials said.

Sheriff's officials ruled their deaths a murder-suicide.

Bob Nash had said he was going to pick up his wife, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease, at Canterbury House, a nearby nursing home where she had been living since he had surgery for colon cancer, said neighbor Bob Schwartz. They planned to have lunch at home.

But at about 1 p.m. Thursday, Schwartz said he heard a loud sound that he later realized was a gunshot. "Ten minutes later, the patrol cars came," Schwartz said.

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/florida/MGBG5PXV1VD.html

This is so sad!

[the Kelly Gang]

1. very stressful dealing with a relative with Alzheimers

[FormerOstrich]

2. Yes it is.

This is a very sad story. One that hits very close to home for me. All the women from my mom's side of the family have had Dementia (only diagnosed as Alzheimer's in the more recent)at a relative young age.

I lived with my great Aunt for a couple of years to delay her having to be placed in a nursing home. Eventually she was placed in one. It was so difficult for me to go and see her. They had to restrain her to keep her harming herself (or getting lost). My mom knew how much it affected me and discouraged me from visiting. She pointed out that I had been there for her when it counted but now she really didn't know or care if I visited. It was still difficult but my mom really made it much easier.

Unfortunately, her niece's (a cousin to me) husband tried to care for her for several years. Apparently he reached a point he couldn't take it any more and tried to kill her and commit suicide. Rather fortunate or not, he had not actually killed her. He then went to the sealed garage with the car running. Somehow she managed to call 911 and they were able to save both of them. She hadn't had that much presence of mind for a very long time. The courts forced them to separate after that. It was very very tragic.

I know it must be terrible to have your mind outlive your body. But, with what I have experienced, my worse fear is my body to outlive my mind.

So yes, it is such a sad story. I am sure this man loved his wife very much. It really makes me think there should be a better way (e.g. assisted suicide...)

[Mnemosyne]

3. Please get checked for mercury toxicity!!!!!!!!!!

I am 46 and have just been diagnosed with this. My endocrine system is dysfunctioning and I have been having symptoms of dementia due to low body temp. My thyroid is very bad. Millions are affected and are told other diseases so never get proper treatment. Mercury is only second most poisonous toxin on earth, plutonium is first. Dentist deny that "silver" amalgam fillings are toxic, however, it is 50% mercury, 35% silver and 15% other. It is sent to dental offices as hazardous material and when removed from mouth handled as hazardous waste. Please do some research and check this out. I wish you luck.

[Paradise]

4. thank vickiss and welcome to du! nt

[bitchkitty]

5. I did not know this:

"Dentist deny that "silver" amalgam fillings are toxic, however, it is 50% mercury, 35% silver and 15% other. It is sent to dental offices as hazardous material and when removed from mouth handled as hazardous waste..."

[Cooley Hurd]

8. I've been hearing something similar about Aspartame...

...and how it turns into formaldehyde while still in the diet soda bottle! And that leads to all sorts of terrible health problems.

Good site to read about this:
http://www.dorway.com/

[Pert_UK]

9. The aspartame stories seem to be shit.....

http://www.snopes.com/toxins/aspartame.asp

P.

[FlaGranny]

11. For once

I must disagree with snopes. Try a little experiment. Get an EXPIRED can of Diet Coke or let a can sit in the sun for a few days. Then, open the can and taste it. It is an experiment you won't want to repeat. The aspartame absolutely deteriorates in the can into methanol. Of course, no one would actually drink it that way unless they were VERY thirsty (in the desert?). I personally would not use anything as food that could break down into a poison. This breakdown occurs gradually. The longer the can has been on the shelf or in the sun, the more breakdown product.

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3.3.1.2 Health Issues - Methanol is extremely toxic.Exposure to very small amounts of methanol (less than one cup)have been known to cause blindness and permanent injury including death. Exposure to methanol can occur through inhalation of vapor, or through ingestion or skin contact with the liquid fuel.

http://www.solardome.com/SolarDome22.html (this is not a site about aspartame).
-----

The following is from the official aspartame site to debunk claims that aspartame is dangerous.

5. When aspartame-containing beverages are left at high storage temperatures, the aspartame can degrade and form small amounts of methanol.

http://american.aspartame-info.com/media/rumors/squill.html
-----

Has your diet Coke been stored at high temperatures and do you want to ingest methanol?

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Background: Methanol is a commonly used organic solvent, the ingestion of which has severe potential ramifications. It is found commonly in antifreeze, perfumes, and solvents as well as in the production of formaldehyde. Toxicity occurs as a result of intentional overdose or accidental ingestion. The initial medical sequelae are often the most dramatic.

http://www.emedicine.com/neuro/byname/methanol.htm

-----

While most of the literature discusses acute toxicity, in a substance that can be as toxic as methanol, I don't ever want even a tiny little bit of it. Incidentally, I have a confirmed diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and I haven't had a major relapse since quitting aspartame (over three years). I had at least two relapses a year prior to quitting aspartame. A personal anecdote, certainly, but enough for me.

[zanana]

6. I've been caring for my mother with Alzheimer's for six years.

It's physically and emotionally draining. She's in the late stage now, so she's in and out of the hospital with pneumonia and urinary tract infections all the time. Sometimes I look at her and try to see the person who was there before the disease destroyed her brain. It's a very strange feeling to miss a person when they're sitting right next to you, but I've felt that way for a long time now.

[Cooley Hurd]

7. My God, this is sad....

This man must've had such a deep love for his wife to end her suffering (and his own life) in this fashion.

I hope one of the first acts by President Kerry is to reverse the Chimp's ban on funding for stem-cell research...

[sam sarrha]

10. independent research has shown that about 12% of patients in tested rest

homes were actually Prion Disease, 'spongiform disease' misdiagnosed as alzhimers...

I saw on CNN that a rancher in the USA tried to test his cattle recently for Mad Cow, so he could ship them to Japan as he previously had a contract before the last out break here... The Bush government told him he couldn't test them, he said he would send the samples to another country.. The government said that if he did they would put him in jail. that our present system was all that was necessary to protect our citizens.

Please go to www.maddeer.org and surf the links there also.. it is very informative...and scary..

My grand mother had Alzheimer's. she said she didn't want to cause her family any more suffering... she layed down went to sleep and quietly passed away 2 hours later.