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Sippy cup
DW shares her hot chocolate with dog so I got her a new cup. Showed her how to use it but she closes opening when taking a drink. I'll crazy glue it open. I did ask my daughter-in-law if she would come in twice a week for a half a day so I can get a break. Start that when snow finally leaves. She already helps out when I…
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Do I just allow the loopy behavior?
This may sound like a rhetorical question. LO with middle stage dementia is currently obsessing all day long. Checking every drawer, every closet, pulling everything out of the closet, tearing apart her room, her drawers, all day long. She is sure that people are stealing her things. It starts innocently enough with her,…
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What do you do about inappropriate gifts?
My mom has a few old friends who regularly mail her gifts that may have been welcomed 4-5 years ago but now that she's in memory care, no. Things to eat like big boxes of chocolates--which she eats in one day and which make her terribly sick--or individual servings of cream for her coffee--the aids stir cream into her…
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Speech change
My lo, all of a sudden, has totally and suddenly changed how she talks. No disrespect intended, she talks like Forrest Gump. Is this normal for alz. patients?
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hubby is so weak hospice now says to keep him in bed
24/7. He is eating but not like he used to. Has had a fever and peeing blood clots for 4 days now, they prescribed antibiotic but it's not working, most likely the suspected bladder cancer. Hospice went from saying he was doing great a week ago to saying looks like he is "transitioning" and saying it could be weeks????? :…
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Unplugging coffee maker by pulling on cord, not plug
Mom (PWD) makes coffee every morning and for whatever reason now unplugs the coffee maker when she's done. In and of itself that's not a problem, but she's unplugging it by pulling on the cord (unsafe!) and not by pulling out the plug. Any thoughts what to do here? Dad wants to just take away the coffee maker, but it's one…
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typing through tears
It's been a week. I miss him so much. The initial relief I felt that my dad is no longer suffering has turned to deep sadness. My heart goes out to all of you who are caring for a loved one who is suffering from Alzheimer's. As we say in Judaism, May the memory of your loved one be for a blessing.
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Early Stage dementia- Who should tell people about the illness?
DH has Early State Dementia. Is it appropriate for the caregiver, in this case Wife, tell family and friends about the diagnosis? Is it better to let DH tell them. Also need to inform Financial Planner of diagnosis. Should DW do it if DH is not ready to talk about it?
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Feeding my mom, in ICU, late stages
My mom has late stages Lewy body. She is currently in the ICU. She has been staying in a nursing home under hospice care. Our hospice provider recommended she get admitted because she had not eaten or drank for 4 or 5 days while at the nursing home. She got admitted to ER 3 days ago with dehydration, UTI, 175 heart rate…
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If you use the Wyze camera
you might want to check this out. https://gizmodo.com/you-should-probably-stop-using-your-wyze-camera-right-n-1848731446
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Bilingual caregiver wanted
I'm finding that hiring a caregiver is quite a frustrating process. I only want someone for 20 hours a week, someone who speaks Spanish and English, and who lives fairly close by to area code 91307 so that she, preferably can arrive early in the morning and handle the early morning duties. I have tried to reach out to…
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VA Benefits(1)
Hi everyone! I hope everyone is doing well. We just had high seventies temperature here. At least for today then back to winter. Mom is a Korean war widow and I'm trying to get through approval for benefits. I have this benefits counselor agency that says they will take care of everything as it is complicated (government,…
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My brother doesn't want to go to eye doc for macular degeneration
My brother, who lives alone but I care for, has macular degeneration which is getting worse. Before the pandemic, he went to an eye doctor who proposed some kind of treatment which he rejected because it was too invasive. I made an appointment to go back with him this week to find out if there was anything else that might…
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Coping with caregiver stress?
Hey everyone. I'm a caregiver for two elderly people I live with, one with Alzheimer's (grandma, 99) and the other with chronic pain and limited mobility (mom, 74). I'm 29 (my parents had me at a late age) and I feel awful all the time dealing with this on my own. I recently learned about "caregiver stress syndrome" and…
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In-person support groups
I’m a bit behind the curve on asking for help. My sister/housemate is getting worse every day, and I need someone to talk to about her condition. Are there in-person support groups in Austin?
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Assessing over medication - 30 days?
My mother, 75, good general health, except for blood sugar and a neuropathic type pain. It doesn't seem like peripheral neuropathy, I wonder if it is some sort of post-stroke pain or just a dementia symptom. Dx in late December with EOAD, stage 4.2. I was told stage 4 lasts about 2 years and since she may have had a…
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Does your LO do this?
When my mom is in bed she often puts her feet on the floor and then her head comes off the bed and almost touches the floor. The only part on the bed in her bottom and she has fallen ot of bed. She does the same thing on the couch if she falls asleep there. We've tried a bed rail and a bumper, but then she is unable to get…
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Gonna put you in a home!
Tongue in cheek title btw. I have toured 5 local facilities and 4 of them are nice enough, they all have a progression to nursing home or memory care as needed, and costs and T&C are similar. My situation is much better than many who post, and my heart goes out to the caregivers and LO who are suffering the worst…
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Youtube goes live on March 22nd at 5pm ET
https://youtu.be/_jsR5Dv2LRA
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On grief(1)
Residual grief hasn’t lessened the grief I’m feeling during these final days. It was just 4 years of grief. Dang it! She hasn’t eaten in 8 days.
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Questions(5)
I’ve been on a pathway to diagnosis for several years now with my mom. And the day that I’ve been scare of every day arrived. My mom’s neurologist called and said it’s Alzheimer’s. And it flattened me. We have an appointment on Tuesday and he’s going to tell her the diagnosis at that point. He told me to bring all of the…
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New hearing aids - challenging
Has anyone else given hearing aids to their LO with dementia?I had hoped they would improve our communication and experiences, but she complains of “noise.” When hearing aid is touched, it will produce static (when I put them into her ears, and later, if she puts on a hat, or touches her hair, etc). I remind her that the…
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Bible Verse to Lift You Up 3/24/22(1)
TODAY'S REMINDER * 1 Corinthians 13:4 New International Version “Love is patient…” * “Patient (patience)—able to put up with problem or pain without complaining or becoming angry.”-NIV Dictionary. * STICKY NOTE: When my patience is tested, I will pray immediately. Like Comment Share
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Hiatial hernia
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hiatal-hernia/symptoms-causes/syc-20373379 The ER sent him a prescription for a higher dosage of Hydrocodone and another medicine to reduce inflammation and acid reflux. The hernia made his compression fracture in his L1 vertebrae worse, so he has to go to his back doctor…
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Sundowners(4)
Hey all. I know Sundowners is definitely a big thing with AD. Recently, it's really been rough on my Grandfather. He sleeps pretty well once he falls asleep, but when he gets tired he starts talking about things we don't know about or remember, which makes it hard on both us and him. How do you guys handle it? Just agree…
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Respite to Permanent AL / MC questions
Hi all, I have posted on previously asking about what it would be like when we placed my mom. Everyone was so helpful. I am very glad we had started the research and I had identified some potential facilities. We had emergency work needed on her house which was a safety issue. She could not be there for the work and we…
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Early Onset Dementia Can't Get Help
My wife is in the final stage of dementia. She is only 60, turns 61 on April 22. So she is still too young to be on medicare. It is going to take us a while to get her on medicaid, because I have to sell 2 of our vehicles, put my work van under a company name instead of just using it under my name, and a few other things.…
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Constipation(7)
I know this has been posted a few times here, but just want to see how you keep your LO regular. We just went 6 days without a BM (everything seems very slow even 3 weeks post op), after a couple days miralax, daily stool softeners, milk of magnesia and suppository last night and enema this morning, we seemed to have…
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A toxic friend
I was hoping that someone might have some advice for me. My MIL has moderate to severe dementia and is in MC. Last year we brought her up from FL to her home state to live near us as we were aware that her condition was deteriorating. When she lived in FL she had a housemate who helped to take care of her. One of the…
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Paradoxical behaviors
Does this happen to anyone else? On days my FIL is more ornery with me, he is also more alert. Like this morning, he was contrary to getting changed and up in his chair, but he has fed himself his whole breakfast with a spoon! (2 eggs and sausage cut up in gravy). We have days like this and days where he is like a limp…