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Share your Story with the Alzheimer’s Association
The Alzheimer's Association is dedicated to ensuring that everyone facing Alzheimer's or another dementia is able to access a timely diagnosis, available treatment options and quality care throughout their journey. To better understand the barriers people currently face, we are looking for people to share their experience…
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Moved: ALZConnected Q&A Thread
This discussion has been moved.
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I wrote this essay to help others after losing my father to a long battle with Alzheimer's disease.
After losing my father to a long battle with Alzheimer's, I wrote this essay to give a glimpse into this horrific disease, draw attention to the red flags and signs (there are many people at this very moment who have a family member with dementia and still do not realize it), and especially to help people navigate through…
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UTI Test for Incontinent?
Hello. Is there any way a nursing home can test a patient who has Alzheimer's and is incontinent? My mom is 87, and recently, her agitation and combativeness have continued to escalate. She is hitting, biting, scratching, screaming, and, as they said, "speaking in tongues." She sleeps mainly all day and does not eat as…
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behavioral advice needed
Hi, A few months ago my husband and I joined a state funded Medicaid/Medicare association that provides day care, OT, PT, medical care, etc. So far it's been great for both of us as he is an 85 yr old with ALZ and I am his wife/caretaker, 75 year old with physical disabilities. We go 3 days a week to the daycare to give me…
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Excellent Handout Packet: dementia, stages, CGs, actively dying - Tam Cummings
(Sharing here as well as Spouse/Partner CG Forum) - Recently there was a post requesting Stage 7 information. The attached includes some staging tools and also 1 pg info sheets on what to expect in final months, weeks, days, hours. I also am seeing for the first time, a nursing care notes section with Tam Cumming's staging…
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Books about Alzheimer's Disease
I want to start a thread for books regarding Alzheimer's Disease and caregiving. I invite anyone with a pertinent book about Alzheimer's Disease or the other dementias to post. If someone has the link for Understanding the Dementia Experience, please post it here, so new members can readily find it. The first book I want…
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Mom is at peace
Mom passed away early this afternoon. My son and I were with her. I hadn’t been there very long. The change between last night and noon today was a lot. She’s at peace now. I’m continuing to feel numb - but l do feel relief.
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What's your pleasure?
This is my first post! This year has been very hard for me. I moved in with my parents in February, got them well enough to move to AL in April. My mom never fully recovered from the shock of moving and she died in June. My dad will go into MC next week. Along the way, I've tried to find a few moments, a few things to…
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Anyone else taking care of otherwise healthy dementia patient?
Taking care of 85 year old with late stages but body is amazingly healthy, amazes the nurses and doctors each time,,,strong heart, good breathing, strong appetite, and can feed herself most of the time. One should be delighted right? But she is in late stages requires 24 care, is beyond any kind of converstation, but gets…
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Christmas Cards
In a year filled with bad news, I am sitting here with a box of Christmas cards wondering what to write. I want to send cards; this is the only contact I have with many of the friends and relatives on my list. Caregiving is isolating enough without letting my last few contacts in the outside world slip through my fingers.…
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Hypnagogic hallucinations
My wife told me she's been having trouble when trying to fall asleep because she's seeing things like vivid scenes of people and something like static on an old TV. We did a Google search and it sounds like hypnagogic hallucinations. We haven't been able to find any connection with MCI or dementia. But this is something…
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Seeking Advise - I am 25
I am 25 and my mother was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s at 60. I am new here and need help knowing what to do. She’s about in the mild/moderate stage. My father passed away 2 years ago and the only family around is my younger brother who is 22. She has a sister that lives about two hours away. Family and friends…
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Compassionate Use or Expanded Access options
Is anyone getting any therapies through Compassionate Use or Expanded Access programs? I saw a comment from someone in a Facebook group who was considering TB006 a compound being developed by True Binding. So it made me wonder if anyone here has considered it or other experimental options that are in development.
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Christmas gifts
Mom is in AL. She hoards and we have not taken her to the store for the last 3 months because she insists on buying things she doesn’t need. She is finally just starting to tell me if she needs something vs telling me I need to take her to the store. She is mid stage and insists on independence. She loves Christmas and…
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Inevitable Falling
I am sole caregiver for mother with later stage dementia. Hospice comes by 2 or 3 times a week, paid caregiver once a week, brother visits maybe once a week. That leave Mom and I alone … 76.2% of the week (yes, I did the math). Mom has started falling. A couple of bad falls, several (mercifully) mild ones. Two or three…
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Mematine smell?
Has anyone noticed an odor coming off their LO after starting mematine? My mother’s Dr added mematine to donapezil about a month ago. Lately I notice an odor when I hug her. She is early on and still keeping up with hygiene and clean clothes so it’s not a cleanliness problem. The literature doesn’t mention a smell as a…
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Help needed… grandfather thinks he fell in love with a nurse and had a big outburst, dementia?
I'll try to keep this as short as possible. My grandfather recently had a toe amputated about two weeks ago as it became infected (diabetic). He had to then come home on IV antibiotics, that I was to administer (i'm his grandson and POA). One day when I went to visit, a few days after the surgery, he had a nurse in his…
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Waiting for Dr in Chicago
Finally got a referral for my LO for a neurologist at a clinic specializing in dementia and they can’t see my LO until February of 2025. Is that normal? (I’m new at this) My LO recently got an MCI diagnosis. We are seeking treatment and I worry things could change a lot in 8 months.
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Bible Verse to Lift You Up 12/8/24
GOD TEACHES AND LEADS YOU AND ME Isaiah 48:17 New Living Translation “This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow.” I am always asking the Lord for His guidance. I suspect you do too. He…
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dosage of psych medication your person is on ?
Her medication per day; RISPERIDONE 0.5mg, CITALOPRAM 5mg, VENLAFAXINE 75 mg , blood thinner APIXABAN 5mg She remains highly anxious and agitated , frequently crying and shaking. she is also very delusional and experienced another episode of delirium 2 days ago …during which she became combative with a nurse, . A few hours…
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Mom has AD and husband abandoned her.
I am writing this because I don’t know where else to turn and I’m hoping somebody out there has gone through something similar. My mother and stepfather have been married for 21 years and I’ve had a pretty happy marriage. My stepfather came down with Parkinson’s a few years ago and is in the later stages now and in an AL…
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Cruises for PWD and caregivers
I don’t know if this link will work - the article is from the Washington Post travel section 12-1-24. I no longer have a subscription so I can’t share it.
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Father's Illness Holding 23 Year Old Son Back; Need Advice
I am the caregiver for my DH with Alz. Our oldest son works from home and has moved in with us in the country (rural area) to help financially and practically. He is 34. Our youngest son (23) lives with our daughter (33) in the city and they both visit frequently. She visits every other week for 4 days & our youngest (23)…
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One day and the arguing has already begun
So Mom died yesterday. I told my siblings I was inviting my step siblings over to select anything and everything they wanted from mom’s apartment in assisted living. After all it was my step-dad’s too until he died in February. The will says everything is divided six ways. I was mom’s POA and I’m the executor of the will.…
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Caregiver daily log with timestamps, for a caregiver agreement
Would anyone happen to have an example of a daily care log they keep? Tasks completed daily with times. I was told to keep records of everything I am doing and the times they were done. I am looking for an easy way to keep track of this. Any pictures of examples would be great.
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A Local Nightmare
This was in the news not far from me. A woman was found wandering near 2 very busy streets in a primarily residential (mostly single-family homes) area. It's interesting that she seems dressed for the weather.
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A little humor
Maybe the last quip from MIL. She is in the “active dying” stage, mostly unresponsive. After spending a few hours with her this morning, I woke her up to tell her I was going home, I’d see her tomorrow, and I loved her. Although her speech is now hard to untangle, I swear she said “it was nice seeing you”.
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The last mile
I though I was ready for MIL to finish her journey but this is so hard. She’s dying of breast cancer which we chose not to treat. Hospice started morphine a few days ago. I never ever thought I would say this, but thank god for her dementia - she isn’t suffering and has no idea what’s happening to her. Although on some…
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Holidays
My wife of 60 yrs passed last May after the long battle. I know she is in a better place now but the holidays are here now and it's taking a toll on me. Thanksgiving I broke down and my daughter was there to console me but with Christmas fast approaching what to do?? Loneliness is a killer. My best friend lost his spouse…
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How to get over how mad dad was at me for moving him to ALF
My dad passed away two months ago. It came four months after I moved him and my mother to an ALF. Mom has moderate dementia. Dad had COPD and late-stage CHF when I moved them. It was clear to me in the few months prior to the move that dad had become too unwell to care for himself or mom appropriately. I did not know he…
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My watch over dad has ended and it feels so empty
My dad took his last breath in this life just yesterday. He was 89 years old. He and mom, who has dementia and is in memory care, were married 65 years. I moved both to an ALF about four months ago. I think my timing turned out to be just about right. I thought the world would look different without my dad in it, but it is…