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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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Garbled speech
Curious about garbled speech and wandering. Mom’s in MC, probably stage 6. Miraculously, her moods are good and she’s extremely well taken care of. The past few months I’ve noticed her speech is more garbled. She frequently uses mashed up words, and most sentences don’t make sense. She’ll repeat syllables almost like a…
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Not sure what to do anymore
My mother has dementia that has not officially been diagnosed because she refuses to cooperate with any doctors or complete any testing. I believe she has vascular dementia due to her consistently dangerously high blood pressures (that she refuses to take meds for, which are prescribed) and a CAT Scan showed damage, but no…
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“Borrowing” memories that aren’t their own?
My mom lives with us and has for a little over a year (moved from one part of a very large state to a very very much different part of the state, very far in distance even if driving in one day). She has twice brought up “I remember when…” memories of events she wasn’t here for but that we had gone to and described or…
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Caregiving help for a parent - what has worked well for you?
My brother and I care 24/7 for a mom with ALZ, probably middle stage. We both work full time, but my brother is able to work from home, so that is the only way we have been able to manage it. We have both developed chronic health problems, probably from the years of stress as we have been managing Mom's care for several…
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CSF Biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease Diagnosis
So apparently there is something called CSF biomarkers that can be tested to help diagnose Alzheimer’s. You get these through a lumbar puncture, which, as in my LO’s case, is also used for NPH. The neurologist questioned in my LO’s chart why they didn’t test for this. Does anyone know about this test?
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Cataract surgery with dementia
New here…. and I am finding this forum very helpful. My mom is 85 and is blind in one eye and they are recommending cataract surgery for her good eye. She is definitely in mid stage of dementia. I scheduled this procedure for her and am nervous if I am doing the right thing. The surgery will take 10 minutes and I will be…
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New to caregiving for self-centered husband
My husband was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's and vascular dimentia, although I have seen the progression for many years. My hardest times are when he doesn't recognize me as his wife. He says I can't drive the cars because I am not on his insurance, he says he is single and doesn't want anyone living with him, that I…
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New to this and looking for any advice!
Hello everyone, My mom has all the symptoms of Alzheimer’s but is very stubborn and living in denial and doesn’t want to admit she has a problem and her symptoms are getting worse and worse affecting both of our lives daily. I am in my early 20’s and an only child who is trying to care for her mom but I’m limited in what I…
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Mobility concern
Hello everyone. My mother is 75 years old and was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia officially in 2020. Lately, my mom has been needing more help with walking around the house. Last week, she fell in the bathroom; she was looking in the mirror and just fell backwards. I’ve also noticed that she leans to her…
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Dad has sudden incontinence
My dad who is mid-stage LBD has been wearing Depends since late 2023 although he hasn't really needed them, it is simply easier for both him and his caregivers. He could always verbalize when he needs to go and if he wasn't a fall risk, could toilet independently. He was started on Doxycycline for a stye recently and after…
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The day of the toddler
I went to my mom’s MC today just after lunch had been cleared from the table. Here is the conversation we had: Me: did you have lunch? Mom: no. Me: are you hungry? Mom: yes. ( I then checked with a reliable staff member in the room who told me she had eaten her entire lunch, including ice cream for dessert.) Me: let's go…
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New to this
Hello! This is the first time I have reached out about taking care of my Mom. She is diagnosed with Alzheimer's and probably has been dealing with it for about 2 or 3 years. She moved in with me back in January. She decided she just couldnt do it alone anymore. It has been a huge change for all of us. I have 2 adult…
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Sleeping issue
Hello, I am new here. My sister, brother and I are taking care of my mom. She was just diagnosed and is on 2 different medicines to help with her memory. My sister sees my mom more regularly than I do, but my mom went to my sister's today, and my sister could tell my mom was off. My mom said she had trouble sleeping last…
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Nobody can be relied on. Nobody.
The doctor’s office dropped the ball… again… in a way that made things so much harder. Long story short, the way my mom found out she has to give up driving was by getting a letter from the state. No breaking it to her gently. I am finally learning that when caring for someone with this disease there is literally NOBODY…
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Worried about Mom’s Memory
My mom is 73 and she is forgetful. Meaning she forgets to charge her phone at night, get up and out the door for appointments first thing in the morning. Never sets alarms to get up. Forgets her purse and phone when she leaves the house. She sees a neurologist where we live and had been tested for Alzheimer’s by blood test…
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Headaches
My Mom’s dementia is getting worse obviously. She is taking Trazadone and some other drugs to keep her on an even state. Poor thing complains of headaches everyday and not sure why? No mater what we give her to help make it go away does not work. Exedrine, Advil, Tylenol - is like popping Pez, does absolutely nothing.…
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MIL with dementia
My first time posting. My husband and I are the primary caregivers for his parents who live in their own house next door. Mom is 83 with vascular dementia and Dad is 86 with Alzheimer’s. Mom is getting more and more agitated. They still love playing game and cards but if mom doesn’t get her way she becomes very mean to me.…
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Removing pictures
has anyone else experienced their LO slowly wanting to remove all family pictures from their room? I don’t know if they upset her, if she doesn’t recognize the faces or what it is but we remove as she asks.
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Dad in nursing home
My Dad is in a nursing home for physical reasons and some dementia. He has started to settle down and doesn't call me 20-30 times a day anymore maybe just 5-10 calls. He keeps asking why am I here and I am tired of explaining it. I have had to harden my heart a little just to create some emotional boundaries between me and…
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Continual Grief: I Miss My Mom
I visited my mom again today at her skilled nursing facility. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2018 (she had probably been experiencing it since the early 2010s, in reality), and I made the gut-wrenching decision to place her into an SNF in 2021. She's currently experiencing late-stage Alzheimer's. She has…
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Really Need Help With My Mom and Dad, Could This be Dementia? Dad’s Behavior
Hi, I’m 49 and living with both of my aging parents. My dad is almost 80 and has been obsessively bringing up my mom’s past—accusing, interrogating, then apologizing and repeating it again. It started suddenly in early May. He has also: Forgotten recent events or where he placed items Told the same old stories repeatedly…
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Asked to move from Memory Care Facility
My gal is 70, 5ft, 115lbs and mobile, she was diagnosed MCI 2018 and progressed to Alzheimer's her memory and cognitive issues became too much for me and she has been in a Memory Care Facility for 8 weeks. She did not adjust well and after 3 weeks they sent her to a Psych Hospital where they put her on some pretty serious…
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Looking for therapist or support for son caring for his mom with Alzheimer's in NYC
Greetings, I am the primary caregiver for my mother who has Alzheimer's we live in NYC. I am having a hard time finding a therapist who knows how to support me through this process and finding support in general. This is my first time on this post. Thanks
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Here's what helped us <3
Hi everyone. We recently lost my Dad after many years with Alzheimers. I wanted to share what helped us, in case it can help someone else! 1. Check to see if in home hospice care is available to your loved one - it might be available sooner than you think. The criteria for in home hospice care are kind of complicated. In…
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Looking for any advice
Hi everyone! My Dad has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s for almost two years now. However we did notice things for a few years before his diagnosis. At first it was very slow and it seems like since March of this year he has rapidly gone down. He still lives at home and is currently with Palliative Care and Home Health. We…
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Denied Hospice
For quite a while now, my mother has been declining cognitively. It isn't a steep decline but steady enough that I often notice things she used to do for herself that she no longer does. Also, Mom had two "spells" in the last four months where she spaced out, went cold and clammy with a low BP and low heart rate. Both…
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Recent diagnosis and vision trouble
My dad was just recently diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's at age 63. While his memory is a little spotty, the toughest thing he's been dealing with is an increasing loss of vision that they believe is being caused by some small bleeds in the occipital lobe of his brain. He is still almost completely self-sufficient,…
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Father
So I’m kinda in the middle. I’m trying to stay positive and help my mom as she cares for my father yet the same time it’s like I’m mourning the loss of my dad, or the man who I knew as my dad. He’s in the stage now, where he’s talking about the past so much that he believes were in the past. He’s digging through stuff all…
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Physically Fit
When my mother went to the ER twice this spring for syncope (fainting spells), both doctors looked at her test results and marveled at how physically fit she is in spite of the dementia. She limps a little bit due to a troublesome hip, but she's strong. Her posture is good. She takes BP medication and Seroquel for anxiety,…
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Dad needs care too, though.
Hey y'all! So my Dad is 82 and in relatively good health. My Mom is 80 and is in late state Alz. ( I think.) Her symptoms are a little different than some, in that she is unable to really hear…she can't see well…thank goodness, her attitude is usually upbeat and positive. However, she doesn't talk much now and when she…