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Tell Us About Your TrialMatch Experience!
The Alzheimer's Association TrialMatch is looking for your feedback! To help us improve the tool and better support people living with dementia, caregivers, and healthy volunteers in finding clinical studies, we invite you to complete a brief survey. The survey takes less than five minutes to complete, and your input will…
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Welcome! New Forum for Caregivers
This is a new discussion forum for caregivers supporting a parent living with Alzheimer's or other dementia.
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Question from new member
Hello. I just found this group. My father has Alzheimer's, and my mother is his primary caregiver. My sister and I live close and are helping as much as we can. Mom is showing the wear-and-tear of the situation. We are looking for a place where we can benefit from the experiences of others who've already gone further down…
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I need help understanding this
Ive known for quite sometime now that something wasnt right with mom. Whether it was reconnecting all the connections on the TV and internet on each visit, fixing all of the clocks, and changing passwords to her accounts every other day. This went on for a few years. But then she hears her long time deceased parents in the…
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Hospice for mom with no advance directive?
Hello. Has anyone had to navigate end of life decisions for a LO with dementia who has no advance directive? My mother absolutely refused to discuss let alone commit to writing anything having to do with illness or death even before dementia set in. She's not in end-stage Alzheimer's. It's a blood disease that has us…
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In home care
I think the time has finally come for my mom to get in home care. She cant toilet anymore without someone wiping her. However, the thought of someone else cleaning my mom makes me cringe and I don't know how she will react. How did you get past this to hire someone ? Ugj this is so so depressing!!!!! Yesterday was her 79th…
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Fecal incontinence
My mom has lost control of her bowels at least 5 times over the past 2 weeks. I feel like she is in much too early of a stage of dementia (we believe Stage 4) for this to be due to her disease. Does anyone else have experience with this happening at mid-stage AD? I'm trying to get her in to the doctor at AL to make sure…
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Coming to terms
I have a soon-to-be 87 year old mother who is clearly somewhere down the path of Alzheimer's. I could bang out 30-40 paragraphs full of details but I won't do that to you. Right now, my primary question is how do you provide help for someone who not only refuses to accept help, but will automatically cut anyone out of…
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“Remember I Didn’t Mean To”
Inspired by the positive post of @lilacgirl, I will share a note of mine that I came across today that put some steel in my spine. It was from four years ago, and I was texting a cousin about visiting my dad, then in early stages and still at his house. I reported that he was concerned about forgetfulness and confusion,…
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Drinking with Alzheimer's Disease
My mother has Alzheimer's and continues to drink alcohol daily. We're concerned about how it may be affecting her condition and safety. Has anyone successfully helped a parent with dementia reduce or stop drinking? What worked, and what didn't? Any advice would be appreciated.
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Mom's first fall
Just felt like sharing, it's so therapeutic, thank you for this platform. My mom, 91, mid to mod (more moderate) ALZ (for 3 years), lives in AL, without added support, but they keep an eye on her and she's not allowed to leave the building without family. She lives in an apartment with pull cord for emergencies by bed and…
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Playing with food / tactile games or activity ideas
My mom, on hospice and in memory care, is overall doing great. I know this sounds crazy but it’s true. She’s been at her place 2 years with the same group of residents and they are all progressing, together. She doesn’t speak much but as one staff person says she still “reads the room,” and is very expressive in her…
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Feeling guilt about moving Mom into AL
Hello all, I haven't written in a long while, but wanted to see how others may have handled the guilt of moving their LO to an Assisted Living facility. Before my father passed in 2004, I promised him that I would take care of Mom. Fast forward, and my wife and I have been living with Mom for the last 10 years (8 of those…
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new HHA
I have had home health aides for my mother. They came twice a week. One suddenly found another job, the other just kind of disappeared. My mother's physical therapist suggested someone. We met her, liked her and she seemed competent. My mother basically just needs a companion. I keep hoping that a new face can engage her…
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Respite Care Russellville Arkansas
Looking for resources for respite care in the Russellville Arkansas area for my parents.
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New Here! Mum diagnosed 6 weeks ago. Struggling with evening sundowning/looping—any advice?
Hi everyone, This is my first post. Recently, my mum was diagnosed with early-to-mid-stage Alzheimer's. She is 67. This has hit our family pretty hard, especially my dad, who has taken on the mantle of primary caregiver. I still live at home, so I am exposed to the daily realities of the condition. Lately, she has been…
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I’m feeling guilty - second guessing decisions
Hi - I have the longer story below, but basically, I’m wondering if my decisions for my mom’s care made her dementia progress faster. I know this may not be true, but she’s progressing pretty quickly. She just turned 77. I’ve tried not to, but I’m feeling a lot of guilt about the decisions I’ve made. I apologize. This is…
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Memory Care Adjustment Challenges
We just moved my Dad to memory care two weeks ago. My mom continued to take care of him at home as long as she could, so he had a good routine, but could not longer handle the challenges of caretaking. My dad has always been opposed to moving out. He is having an incredibly hard time adjusting to a new place. We thought it…
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Taking care of 91 year old mother
It’s been 2-3 years since her anger started kicking in. I am only son, she lives alone. She has VD and perhaps some Alz. I am at wits end. Have joined support groups, 1x1 therapy, have a supporting wife and son. But LO continues to accuse me of stealing, hiding, ignoring abandoning. Every conversation is bad. I am there 3…
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Pop Part 2
Things are progressing rapidly. He is getting aggressive with home health and acting out. Nothing physical, just being ugly and wanting them to leave. I have a VA appt to discuss medications for sleep, depression, anxiety and calmness. Any of you have this? If so, how did you manage?
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Father with dementia, just moved into my home
My 87 yo widowed father has alz(diagnoised 8 years ago) and vd. He fell asleep after a dr appt in awaiting room and was wandering confused with delirium in the facility after he woke up. He was seen in the ER and admitted for mental status change. He has had a couple of other incidents similar but not in the…
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Does anyone else worry that they are making the wrong decisions?
My dad has some good days and can be very lucid/agreeable and other days he is very forgetful and or angry. Right now he is angry, refusing to get out of bed, eat or drink, take his meds because I won't take him back to Florida to live in his own house. I tell him that I am following the instructions from the doctor and…
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Open to any and all suggestions!
Hi everyone, I’m looking for advice from others who have been through this with a parent or loved one with Alzheimer’s. My mother-in-law, Diane, was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s after extensive neuropsychological testing. She is still very capable in many ways, but has significant short- and long-term memory…
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Mother refuses to go to memory care appointment for diagnosis
My mother has been showing obvious signs of some sort of cognitive decline over the last year though may have been dealing with it for longer. She is very good at hiding it because she is quite socially skilled. We had to move my father out of the house they shared and into independent living because she was getting very…
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40hz light therapy
Good morning. I recently saw an article on light therapy and helping with mood and memory. Has anyone tried a 40hz lamp? My mother has advanced Alzheimer’s, but was thinking if it helped her mood that would even be beneficial. Also any supplements that have been helpful? Thanks in advance!
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Help
I need some advice regarding my parents and how I can best support them. My mom has Alzheimer’s, and as a result, my dad has had to pick up much of the slack around the house. He is 92 and I can see that he is wearing out. I have offered to help as much as I can by grocery shopping, preparing meals, running errands, and…
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Memory Care Challenges
Hi Everyone, My DM has been in MC for about five months after her AL said they couldn't manage her eloping and sundowning episodes any longer. Overall, the MC facility is nice, most of the staff really love my DM so I'd say it is a 6-7 on a scale of 10. The usual issues with lots of turnover which is frustrating. My mom…
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Dad concerning behavior
my dad has Alzheimer’s and vd. He is currently living with me for the past two months. He is not happy about it and frequently upset that he feels he should be able to live in his own home. Last week we spent time in a rental cottage boating swimming with my children and grandchildren. I believe that that he had a great…
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New to This...
I am new to caring for someone with Alzheimers. My dad was recently diagnosed and he is only 63. In April, his job required him to complete a "fitness for duty" exam by their occ. health doctor. Needless to say, he is no longer working. He drives very little, just around town to the same places he has been visiting for…
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Would love to hear tips/tricks from people caring for parent with Mild Alzheimers that also drinks
Dad was recently diagnosed with Alzheimers, its in the beginning stages. He's recently had his driving privileges revoked based on diagnosis by his doctor reporting. He is also an almost daily drinker, Id say 4x per week. His drinking, even when he only has one or two cocktails makes his symptoms so much worse eg: unsteady…
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Key loss "Frustangry"
Dad once again lost his lanyard with his attached key. I received a call from his caregiver's agency that he was overly agitated and both angry and frustrated. They recommended that I get out to him asap. I called him to get some more info or hopes of bringing him down a couple of notches. I spoke to his Friday caregiver…
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Paranoid mother
My mother has mid stage dementia and loses things constantly. She is now saying my adult children are stealing from her. She has accused enough of the family of stealing that now I’m the only one left to take care of her and my dad. I don’t know what to do. She cries cuz nobody will come visit but this is why