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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…
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Please do this by end of day today
It is a 3-minute video and includes extremely moving words from the patient advocates – it is a great compilation that makes the case for CMS to provide coverage. We encourage everyone to share with their friends, families, and professional networks on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media. This can help get the word…
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MC added Antidepressants and psychotropic meds broke arm
I had to place my mom in a MC unit. I did all my research a 5 star facility on medicare.com. The Facility that she was placed in put her on medication without notifying me. She was already on buspirone 15 mg twice a day and Trazodone 100 mg at night. January 4 they added depakote 250 mg twice a day and Lexapro 5 mg twice a…
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Taking mom's computer away & obsessed with her money
Mom is 80 and has Alzheimers and is in an assisted living center. Some how she can still manage to get onto her computer to check her internet banking to monitor her money. My sister manages her finances for her and does a great job. She pays mom's bills but mom still writes some checks on occasion. Mom is a very social…
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Should we have another hospice evaluation?
Hi All, Three months ago we had a hospice evaluation for my MWA who lives with me and my husband. At the time the nurse said she wasn't ready/didn't qualify. Over the last two-three weeks she has had some pain and swelling in her knee which she has complained of, as well as her back (she has spinal stenosis, so the back is…
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Assisted Living vs. Memory Care (Early/Mid Stage)
Hi all, First time posting here. My dad is early stage, but the latter part of early stage I think. He still lives at home alone (my mom passed away last year). Dad is 92 years old and in good overall health (knock on wood). He has someone that comes to the house M-F from 2-7 to make sure he has dinner, takes his…
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LO laying backward
Question for the group. My father recently started leaning backwards (stiffening his back) while sitting in his wheelchair and anytime I try transferring him from the wheelchair to bed (visa-versa). Shortly before this, he no longer tries using his legs to stand up (he was able to stand/walk short distances but won't now).…