-
Disturbing visit with mom at Geriatric Psych unit
My mom was sent from her memory care to the ER and Geriatric Psych at the hospital for aggressive behavior, hitting and kicking. She's going on her 3 week now. I've tried to visit for 30 minutes (all they allow) twice a week. Yesterday's visit was very uncomfortable. I don't know if mom was actually confusing me with my…
-
Mother doesn't recognize me or her home
My soon to be 93 year old mom wants to go home almost every evening she ask me to call her son Jimmy to please come get her. I am Jimmy and she has been living in this house since it was built 60 years ago. I quit work at 57 because she was not safe at home alone that was 6 years ago. She is bladder incontinent with…
-
Guardianship versus POA
Hi, first time poster here and a newbie at being a caregiver. A little background: my father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s a few years ago but hid his diagnosis from his family. He also has moderate dementia, and we suspect has been declining for a long time. We have known for years something was wrong (both physically…
-
End is in sight so why is this worse?
My sister and I have made the difficult but necessary decision to move my dad to a memory care unit. I have been full-time with him for 4 months since his stroke, it's clear that he can't live alone and his GF is effectively breaking up w him, though she has not said it and he can't see it. Over these 4 mos, I have had 2…
-
New Here & Feeling Overwhelmed
Hello everyone. I'm Lori and I've reached my tipping point and I've finally decided to join this group. I'm part of the sandwich generation caring for some of my kids who still live at home and more recently, my elderly mother who moved in with us right before the COVID pandemic hit the U.S. last year. As you can imagine,…
-
Recovering from crisis week - everything feels hazy
I'm finally home after a week of being the primary caregiver for my mother (EO, mostly non-verbal). I mentioned in my last post that my step-dad is the primary caregiver and POA, and he has done nothing to set up assistance. He was bound and determined to be the sole pillar of support...and then he had a knee replacement…
-
nursing home elopement
Dad has alzheimers and is in an assisted living memory care facility. This morning we got a call saying they couldn't find Dad. After about an hour they called us back saying they found him. He had wandered into a room that is usually locked, locked the door behind him, and fell asleep. Needless to say, we were very…
-
Question about Seroquel
Hi All I've been searching through all the posts and haven't really found a direct answer on this. My gram was taken off Depakote and is now on Seroquel. Sleeping a lot. But so far it's been a week and she's improved. One of the neurologists indicated it would take a couple of weeks to work but her NPRN indicated it's…
-
OT--Olympic swimsuits
I notice that for some of the swim meets the women wore regular one piece swimsuits. But for other meets they wore knee length unitard-type swimsuits. Can anyone explain why the change of suits? Iris
-
Minnesota Facility Licensing changes
Hi everyone, it's been a good long time since I last posted/read. I finally got my mom moved to a memory care facility near my home in December of 2019 and she settled in pretty well. 2020 wasn't fun (was it for anyone?) but she made it through the year without getting sick and her facility had 0 deaths and very few cases.…
-
Need Break From Mom 4 More Than a Weekend
I'm mentally, physically drained and a few hours or periodic days break is not enough. When I leave I want to keep going and never come back. I heard there are various types of 'Respite' paid by Medicare/Hospice or Medicaid Waiver program (Home & Community Based Services (HCBS) and Frail Elder Waiver (FEW)). She has them…
-
Mom develops new ALZ manifestation
Several months ago my mom was evaluated in the geriatric clinic of a major medical center and the conclusion was that she was in Stage 5 with a few elements of Stage 6, namely incontinence. She can still dress herself impeccably well, take care of her hair and makeup, take care of hygiene, and feed herself by going down to…
-
Non dementia Parent causing havoc
Yesterday I had a minor meltdown and told my Mom that I’d had enough of their complaining about their ASL facility. It’s as if they think they should have a personal servant dedicated to only their room 24/7. So today I get a call that Dad wants to use the ATM to get cash out. He can never figure out how. I told them I’d…
-
Need Insight--Sudden Progressive Dementia Symptoms
Hi Everyone, I am new to this message board have been reading all the posts for the last couple days. My family has been suddenly thrust into the dementia world with my grandmother. My grandmother has a history of mini-strokes, or TIAs. In the last 12 months, she has had at least 3 TIA episodes. Over the last couple years,…
-
Frequent reader, new poster
First of all, thank you to everyone who shares their stories and information in this forum. I've been reading here for at least a year, but this is my first time posting. My mother was diagnoses with mild dementia/cognitive impairment several months before the pandemic, and has been quite steadily declining since then. I…
-
shopping with caregivers
Hi everyone, Looking for some quick ideas on a mini problem I've been having. My mother has a new, very nice caregiver that likes to take her out for walks in the neighborhood. My parents live in a fairly urban environment so there are lots of shops and restaurants, and the caregiver has been purchasing my mother food with…
-
Stage of Vascular Dementia and Depokote
Hi All I have posted here although infrequently. My 95 year old GMA has vascular dementia and mom and I and a small team of caregivers care for her in an apt she shares with my uncle at a senior living community. She gets the best care we can provide to her. Grams mobility is limited. She can walk with assistance, no…
-
how to find patience
I know this is not a new topic and many of us are dealing with it. Sorry in advance for a long post. I'm fairly new to alz and have been hesitant to post or go to counseling because I just feel like I'm complaining. I'll make the story as short as possible. My fathers living circumstances changed Fall of 2020. At this time…
-
Large Study Links Gum Disease with Dementia
Has anyone seen this information? I searched this forum and couldn't find any related information or link. I also posted this on the Spouse caregivers forum but thought this more of a general interest topic. Large Study Links Gum Disease with Dementia The mouth is home to about 700 species of bacteria, including those that…
-
Safety/Health Home Assessment
Has anyone had luck requesting an city, county or state authority to perform a safety/health assessment on the home your loved one lives in? Not only is my father in his middle stages and confusion and anger are daily basis, I'm really concerned if he should be allowed to live in his 1961 home. Keep in mind he's is super…
-
Disruptive behavior at church
My mother is 91 years old and has Alzheimer's (stage 5). She loves to attend worship services, but has trouble sitting through the sermon. During last Sunday's service, she repeatedly asked to leave during the sermon (exhibiting anger and agitation) and I had to try to keep her quiet, with limited results. I think part of…
-
Introducing Myself(6)
Hello everyone, I have been looking around for several weeks, wow is there a lot of information! I am 65 and my nick name is Pet, the youngest of 10 girls and "Daddy's pet" years later is has been just "Pet". My DH is 74. His name is John and he is a wonderful man. He was first diagnosed in 2015. The dementia (ALZ) was not…
-
How to Start?
Hello, I am new to this site, trying to gain information on how to get a diagnosis for my sister. I've brought her to live with me from another state, but she thinks she is just visiting and wants to go home, despite several conversations about her need to stay. I have talked to her about her short term memory issues, but…
-
daytime sleepiness
Hi all- I suspect that this is part of the disease progression, but the last couple of times I visited my mom in her nursing home, she has dozed off while I was sitting with her (trying to engage her). As a bit of background, she is solidly in stage 6 and mostly in a wheelchair because she is a fall risk. She has no…
-
Sliding faster
Wow. The last two weeks have seen a huge decline in my mil. We now have almost all of the behaviors. Old ones (that were manageable) forgetfulness, paranoia, balance issues, aphasia, confusion). Now we have the new ones: anxiety, sundowning, wandering, restlessness, violence, no safety awareness, weight loss, babbling,…
-
Providing Care while Step-Dad is in the hospital - feels like drowning
I sought out this group because I've been the sole care-giver for my mom during this week while my step-dad is getting knee replacement surgery. My mom is 62, with EO Alzheimers. She's mostly non-verbal and hovering at the edge of late stage symptoms (she can brush her own teeth, wipe after the bathroom, etc...but she…
-
help, decision to make
My step father was diagnosed with alz in 2017(he had it before 2017) This was 2 years after my mother passed. Due to emergency health issues which accelerated it and being insulin dependent diabetic I moved him to assisted living. I am 2 hours away and only moved him to that location because the rest of the family, who…
-
Choking & Sore Throat
My sister and I put our mother, who has late stage Alzheimers, in Memory Care two months ago. Since her move to MC she has been choking severely and her caregivers are now giving her a pureed diet. She doesn't like it and has lost a lot of weight. She doesn't like the thickened liquids, either, so I don't think she is…
-
A Message from the Alzheimer’s Association during Covid-19(1)
This message is a joke
-
Bible Verse to Lift You Up 7/24/21
Thank you so much those of you who made comments on the last Bible Verse. I am encouraging all who come here to join in and share how this verse makes you feel. ENGRAVED ON GOD’S PALMS * GOD THOUGHT: Isaiah 49:15-16 NIV “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though…