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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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Sudden Aggression
I knew this day was probably coming. Let me preface this rant by explaining that my "support" consists of my sister who lives with both me and the pwd. We have never gotten along (probably never will) and she is on mood altering medication. My other sister, out of state, who has more problems then you can shake a stick at…
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Stressed Rambling Because I'm new to This
Hi everyone, my mother was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's and I started living with her about a month ago because she requires full time care. She was able to hide her mental decline for a long time because she has always been very independent, and we didn't have the best relationship. She is already in stage 5 or…
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Just sharing: "Took my mom on her last overnight trip"
This is just for sharing and it will be therapeutic for me to share: My mom has been asking that I take her back to visit in the town she lived in for 60 years before moving near me. I finally did, booked 2 nights, took a 4-hour car ride, to visit her other granddaughter and great grandkids and a couple of her friends. My…
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Impact of a transition between Memory Care locations
This is a follow-up to a previous post I made regarding us reconsidering MC. The reality is that we can't provide what my mother needs from home but I still have concerns regarding where she's placed. I noted in my previous post I was concerned about her being sad. I've come to terms with the fact that she will be homesick…
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cried through MC breakfast w dad... then tears in the parking lot
Some days I just wanna read posts here and benefit from the sense of community and of understanding. As dad declines and my heart breaks, sometimes I just don't want to be around people who can't understand the things we do and see with our LOs. Maybe I could write a song called tears in the parking lot for those of us who…
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Daily changes
My LO is very hateful towards me. I can't seem to do anything right to please him. However, when other people come around, he is very charming and kind and some people can't tell there's anything wrong. I feel like I live on adrenaline because I feel like I walk on eggshells. I am getting VISITING ANGELS to come for eight…
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Mom troublemaking at AL
I have a Care Plan Meeting coming up next week, and I want to be prepared to respond to some of the issues the staff has reported to me regarding my mom… Just in the past week alone, she has "caused a scene" (Director of Wellness's words) regarding her bedtime medication — it was late getting to her and she walked down to…
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Ideas for managing bad habits
My MIL has taken to spitting in the house. She'll eat a meal, and I guess bits of food will stay in her mouth, even though we tell her to stay at the table until she's finished swallowing and try to get her to drink before leaving the room. Once she gets settled in the living room, she'll start spitting those bits of food…
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More clothing struggles
I had mentioned earlier my mom doesn't wear any new clothes, bought since ALZ diagnosis 3 years ago. She constantly asks for new clothes, I take her shopping, she tries and chooses, we buy, she never wears. This group mentioned buying same/similar and also taking online bought clothes with us for her to try in dressing…
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Options for Mother with Dementia after ALF
After 2 years in ALF my mother is in need of a higher level of care - primary because of her needs at night like toileting and her inability to call for assistance when she needs it. ALF is giving me some time to decide what I will do, but I am having a hard time with the options I am considering - and would love different…
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Decision Time: To Live or Not to Live
My head has been pounding all day. My DM made me her all-in-all as it pertains to her end of life matters. Out of 2 children borne, only 1 remain. Me! A terminally ill retired RN. When mom was in her "right mind," she NEVER wanted surgical attempts be made to correct her Afib. With Vascular Dementia and Alzheimers now…
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Anger and depression
My father has been declining rapidly mentally. His depression hasn't been able to be controlled with meds and he keeps getting meaner. He's in denial but sometimes I think what I say actually makes it to his thinking process sometimes but is often turned around on me and it's my fault or something I did or didn't do. I'm…
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Father Angry & Unhappy in SNF
My father(86 yo), who from what I’ve read has recently entered Stage 6, he has been in a SNF since April. Until recently he has been fairly happy there and hasn’t complained much. I’m not sure most days he really understands where he is, often times he calls it his apartment or thinks he is at work. Other than the dementia…
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Mom's brother passed away
My mom's brother passed away yesterday. We have not told her yet. She still knows who he is but hasn't seen him for a year and a half at a funeral and was years before that. I don't think she is going to be devastated by his passing (he had lots of health issues and my mom always had negative things to say). Mom is still…
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Are there any positive experiences for Memory Care?
I am not questioning the need for Memory Care. My mom, with ALZ, is still in AL, but I am trying to be prepared for when MC is needed. I read a lot of sad posts like dbarrylewis on When to Reconsider Memory Care and it was very emotional and sad, and it made me wonder if anyone has experienced a positive outcome. Having to…
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Venting
I come here to vent often. I tried a support group they were lovely but none of the other participants were living 24/7 with their pwd. I also lost my HHA and couldn't take the time anymore. I'm looking for a new HHA now. My mother has vascular dementia and LATE. We're in our second year with it, the prospect of this…
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Validating
I guess what I need is advice on how to deal with my mother's decline. Tonight she called me to tell me that she thinks someone drugged her because she slept past dinnertime (she lives in a memory care facility). I don't want to "humor" her by validating her fears because I don't think that's healthy. But, I don't know how…
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My heart is broken
Here I am again unable to sleep because my mom has said I hate you, get out of here, you won’t give me my meds. I’ve devoted my life to her. Given up my own. It’s hard to wrap my head around this and I’m so burned out and depressed. I can’t find my footing or my hope. I really need someone to talk to who is going through…
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How to control non stop repetitive questions?
There is a non stop question about where to sleep by my mother who has Vascular Dementia and Alzheimer. She navigate all night without problem going in and out of her bedroom but during day, keep asking on and on, where to sleep. This can go hours and hours non stop. Any possible solution highly appreciated. Tried…
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Good news (I think)
My Dad was originally diagnosed with MCI Stage 3 and then the doctor upgraded him to Stage 4. He just had his MRI & blood work done. No proteins found in his blood and the MRI was not bad at all. He had Mild changes consistent with his age & Hypertension history. The doctor wants to give him another cognitive test to…
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Searching for a baby?
My mom has started exhibiting a new symptom: she is unsure where a baby is and is desperate to find it. She even wanders outside to look in our tool shed! She cannot be consoled or redirected. My dad and I do what we can to intervene but we end up just going along with it until her delusion subsides. My question to this…
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When to reconsider Memory Care?
I've written a few times before about my mother's difficulty adjusting to the memory care facility and a worry we placed her into one too early. In the past the recommendation was to wait longer for her to adjust. We're at the ten week point and I'm still struggling. On the positive side: my father was her primary…
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Mom with dementia went downhill after Lexapro antidepressant was stopped
Hello- Mom has been in a NH for about a year due to dementia. They are doing a very good job but I had to fight to get her Lexapro antidepressant restarted after she went downhill very quickly a few months ago. She became very depressed and has not been eating or drinking much. Before the stoppage, She would not eat a…
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New here...
Hello, My mom has moderate Alzheimers though we've seen noticeable decline every few months. She is very suspicious of everyone. If she can't find something she's convinced someone has stolen it. She's unfit to drive per her neurologist though she thinks she's fine. She has no concept of what day it is and we've realized…
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What can I expect for my Mom
Hello All, My Mom was diagnosed with Alzheimer's a few years back and has been getting worse. She was just diagnosed with lung cancer and we are looking into treatments/options to take. So my dilemma is, what is quality of life in the up coming few years? Any thoughts on how long till she is unable to care for herself, or…
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Advice Needed After Moving My YOA Mom from AL to MC
I posted here a while back when my mom was first diagnosed with ALZ and I was trying to move her from FL to GA to be closer to me. She’s 65, I’m 30, and I’ve been her POA for about a year. She’s divorced, so this has all been pretty overwhelming at times. After a really tough few months, my sister and I were able to get…
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New here...
Only child caring for 90 YO Mom. Started with neuro last year, and he diagnosed dementia. Didn't really tell much info. She'd had several episodes of people spying on her, trying to break in, etc. We put up cameras, etc and that seemed to stop that kind of thing. That let us know there were things indicative of something…
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For those of us who feel guilty from time to time
This video has really helped me:
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Mother is seeing insects at night
I am new here. My mother was diagnosed 5 years ago and does fairly well considering. She has recently started hallucinating seeing insects flying on her ceiling at night, and even when she first wakes up. She says they disappear when I come in or she starts getting up. I mentioned it to her neuro after the first event, but…
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Shoe Recommendations Shuffling
My father recently began shuffling more when he walks which is making him more of a fall risk. I recently bought him a new pair of Sketchers slip in sneakers but with the shuffling he keeps catching the front of his foot when he walks and it is tripping him up. His SNF just recently introduced a walker to him, which he is…