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Frustrated!!!(1)
Mom has Mixed dem. and at last neuro visit still deemed mid stage. Is sleeping more, and seems if we press her about something (I.e. for what ever reason we have to urge her to do something she doesn’t want to) she has a bout of diarrhea (from stress?). Then my guilt kicks in like I already don’t enough problems with that!…
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Only children come in
This came up in another thread so I thought I would start a new topic about being an only child and caregiver. My parents divorced when I was very young and my dad is remarried. It was a bad divorce and they were terrible co-parents. My mom has been on her own since my stepfather died 14 years ago. I am her only child. My…
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End of summer decline?
We are in NY & although prior to summer , mom was not doing well, it seemed like the vitamin D , sunshine, flowers , etc turned her around . It’s only been a week, but weather is changing , she’s not outside as much & her daily phone calls from family have declined from every day . I’m seeing a noticeable difference in…
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Snapped
Hi. My MIL has Alzheimers and lives with my husband and I. I don't know what stage, but most people do not realize something is wrong. She is going to be moving to an independent living facility connected to memory care. I'm not sure how this will work, as she cannot make a pot of coffee and nearly burned down the house…
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Struggling!
Good Morning, This is my first time on this site, as many of you it has been a difficult year. Last July my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer. At that time, I moved my mom and dad (who has Alzheimer''s/dementia) up to SC to live with me an my husband to help care for them both. Unfortunately, we lost my mom to her cancer…
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Please help me change lives
Hi folks, I need you help ideas and if you have funds, I need them to. As many of you know I have been an advocate for this cause for a very long time. What you may not know is that I do this work all over the world. I have focused a lot of my work in Africa were they believe dementia is which craft and may are locked in…
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New to Alzconnected
Hi all! My name is Julie. I’ve just started my journey with my Mom, although I believe she’s been struggling with Alzheimer’s since May, 2018. She’s been hiding it for a long while and can’t anymore. She’s declining fast. There’s no denying it now. I’m very scared and looking for help. If I know what to expect, I do…
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She’s forgotten what her walker is for
Every solution causes a new problem. No matter what I’ve tried these last few weeks, I haven’t fixed a single thing. The newest “solution” that will make more problems is the walker she’s used for 3 1/2 years. The walker makes no sense to her unless she has both hands on the handles. It’s dragged around by one handle or…
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Handling LO wanting to live alone
Hi, my Mom's partner of 40 years (and caregiver for 3) was suddenly unable to care for her any longer 3 weeks ago and has moved out of their shared home and I have moved in with my Mom as a result of this until I figure out what to do permanently. Mom was diagnosed 2 1/2 years ago with Alz, but it is mild to medium I…
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How do you manage very active LOs?
My LO is very active and thinks he's ok. He's in middle stages of dementia. We are having trouble with him tinkering & thus breaking home tools. He takes everything apart! Right down to every last nut and bolt. He's done this with the grill, lawnmower, weedwacker, and the list goes on. Last summer he took apart the…
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Kicking out the help
My mother with mixed dementia, whom I live with, had one of the worst days ever. It was the second session with supervision from a very experienced private caregiver. We had a brief initial meet and greet visit that went well. In the first session my mother asked to leave to visit a friend in an apartment on our floor.…
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Question about eating(1)
Hi I rarely post here but when I do I appreciate the input. A do follow this forum and it has been a godsend for us. Mom and I along with a team of caregivers are helping my Gram through her dementia. She has VD+AD and is now in advanced stage. She also has recently been put on seroquel and we have lorazepam avail as…
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struggling(4)
been lurking for a while now, but this is the first time i'm posting. i wasn't sure where to start. there's been so much to manage. plus i've been hiding from the sadness and the fear and My Feelings which are intense to the point of overwhelming, but time doesn't stop because i'm not ready for what's next, so i'm trying.…
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How long to clean out mom's apartment?
For those that have dealt with cleaning out your LOs house or apartment after a move to AL or MC how long did it take you? It is a one bedroom condo but mom was a bit of a "collector" so there is lots in there. And there is a storage locker in the basement that I have never seen that is no doubt filled to the brim. It will…
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Drinking
My DW is cheerful and fun in spite of having lost 100% of her short-term memory. She enjoys the taste of wine, and I of course want her to enjoy it. But she can no longer keep track of how much she has had; will keep filling the glass until the fridge is empty; and when there’s none left, she accuses me of pouring it out.…
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A good day(1)
Yesterday is what I would call a good day on the dementia journey. (Background...my 95 yr old father has dementia around stage 5 and my 96 yr old mother is his primary caregiver living in their own home). When I first came here, my biggest worry was that my mother would not consider outside help or moving to independent…
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Mom is understandably angry about shower assistance
It's been clear for a while now that my Mom who lives in MC needs help showering. She believes that she showers herself every day, and maybe she stands in the shower or something, but she is not washing herself. Yesterday, she received her first assisted shower and she is absolutely irate today. I totally understand her…
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Startle reflex, explained
My DH has developed a very sensitive startle reflex. The slightest noise startles him. Sometimes it seems his body lifts off the chair (or bed). I read something that explains it. Most of us remember the sounds we hear throughout the day- the neighbors slamming a car door, the sound of the refrigerator, the cat jumping on…
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New Here!(5)
I just wanted to say hi! I'm new here but not new to Alzheimer's care by any stretch of the word. When I was 8 years old, my grandmother got her Alzheimer's diagnosis. In that moment, I went from being a granddaughter to a caretaker. Years later, after she died, I went to college and got my Associates degree in Education…
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I am glad to see them go after these companies.
So much more needs to be done to stop these companies. https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/prevagen-memory-loss-does-it-work/2021/09/10/53e5d3e8-f3a6-11eb-a49b-d96f2dac0942_story.html
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Sudden Memory Decrease
Mom with dementia had Depakote recently reduced by 250 mg, Exelon (Olanzapine) stopped (4.5 mg total) and after 3 days she changed dramatically. She was knocking on doors in her AL, trying to leave the building, not remembering where she was, etc. Doctor doesn't think anything to do with med decrease. During all of this…
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How can I avoid the anger?
I am the sole caretaker to my Mom who was diagnosed with dementia in 2018. Oh have we had our ups and downs. But the main problem I have now is that she doesn't like being left alone. If I go to to the back of the house to vacuum, clean or just take a lil break Mom is so mad when I come back into the room. Now mind you,…
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MC doctor visits
Hi, all. I posted a couple of weeks ago about my mother in MC. She’s been there since March after a chaotic couple of months following my dad’s death in early January, a brief stay in AL, hospital and rehab for COVID, and a couple of stints in the geriatric psych unit. I live 3 hours away, and my mom and both brothers live…
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Memantine - benefits and side effects
Doctor just prescribed Memantine for mom. She is 87 and recently her memory has been failing rapidly. Does anyone on this board have experience with this drug - did it improve your LO's memory? Are the side effects bad?
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Hello!(1)
Hello everyone, I just wanted to introduce myself since I haven't done that yet. I recently moved back to my home town to live with my grandparents as my GF has ES Alzheimer's Disease. My GM is thankfully still in her right mind, but she has been sick a lot and my GF can no longer help her alone. So here I am! I have a…
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responding to LO who is not wanting to be in MC
A week ago, I moved my father from an independent living community to a memory care unit of another facility (the place where he was doesn't offer AL or MC). He definitely needs MC at this point, although he is high functioning relative to most people in his new situation. Whenever I visit or speak to him, he complains…
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Gracexu215
Edited/ I believe this gracexu215 is a scam. I googled this username and got a few hits that did not seem proper to me. I ignored the invitation, QBC Grace…. I saw your connection request. However I can’t find any posts you’ve made to understand how I can help support you. I can’t seem to make the search function here work…
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A change in my mom's speech
My mom was diagnosed with dementia in January. There were some indicators a year or two ago that are making sense now. She's had driving privileges taken away by her doctor and things are getting progressively worse with confusion about what day it is, where she put things and accurate information with dates / times and…
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Disrespect?
Hello again! I am really enjoying this forum and would like to add one more question. As I help out my Grandfather, who is still independent and able to do things, he's only in ES AD, I struggle with where the line of disrespect and keeping him safe is. He doesn't mind that I have to drive him everywhere, but I am afraid…
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Burned Out(1)
My DH was diagnosed with Parkinson’s and LBD in 2017. We’re both 68 now. In 2019 we moved to a new state to be near better medical care. We have no children and no close family members. I am his only caregiver. He is very capable physically, even walks two miles every day we can, in spite of having a knee replacement in…