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Shoulder Rehab with Dementia?
My mother with Lewy Body Dementia broke her upper arm with a fall, just below her shoulder a couple weeks ago. At the time, the ortho surgeon on duty recommended "conservative approach" rather than surgery, so we have been resting with physical and occupational therapy in home since coming home after the 2 day hospital…
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Driving - got Mom’s doctor to have “the talk” - I feel so guilty
This is my first post. I apologize it’s so long. My 94 y.o. mother was diagnosed with dementia in July (mixed ALZ/vascular). I’d say she’s gone from stage 3 to stage 4 in just a few months. My brothers and I have been trying to get her stop driving. We encouraged her to take advantage of the on-call driver in her CCRC…
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Bible Verse to Lift You Up 10/14/23
Hoping all my friends here are strong in the Holy Spirit. Hugs to all, Ronnie (Veronica Kelly Badowski) FORGET THE PAST & PRESS ON Philippians 3:12-14 New Living Translation “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection…
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DICE Approach?
Anyone have experience with DICE Approach, specifically their caregiver training material?
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Humor for animal lovers
During our nine hours in the ER today i commiserated with my partner and told her i bet she felt like she'd been hit by a truck. You need to know that a) she's an animal lover, and b) her hearing is not great. "Hit by a duck?" she cried, "oh, i hope i didn't hurt it!" I think we have a new family saying.
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Who Would Have Thought To Look There?
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DH will not see a doctor
I am new to the group. Thank you for support and comments. My husband has all the systems, but refuses to see a doctor. He has other health issues that he also ignores. We have no children or relatives near. I am the one he takes all of his aggression and anger on. Does anyone have experience with the loved one refusing to…
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Replacing hearing aids
My mother is in skilled nursing facility with mid-stage dementia. She has hearing aids and has lost one of them. It is normal for her to have them come out during the day and need to be put back in. We had them on a cord attached to her shirt but she still managed to lose one. My quandary is- to I replace the missing aid?…
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It's been a while
So it's been a while since I've posted. Mom went into memory care during peak COVID in 2020. I visited her when I could. Then I fell off. I was dealing with so many personal issues that I just couldn't handle the visits. Last time I had seen her, she still knew who I was and was happy to see me. This time, it's been so…
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FTD caregiver thread on Spouse Board
Hi all- we started a thread for caregivers whose LOs have FTD over in the spouse/partner section. Just wanted to share in case you're interested but don't spend time in that part of the forum. https://alzconnected.org/discussion/66798/calling-all-ftd-caregivers#latest
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To Bra or Not to Bra?
That is the question. I liberated Mom last month and removed the bra from our daily dressing routine. The bra straps and back strap were leaving red marks in her skin. After sleeping in her clothes one night, she woke up rubbing at the areas irritated by the straps. The bra is sized correctly, but her skin is getting…
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Sister Refusing to Get Ready This Morning
This morning, my sister was having difficulty with the buttons on her pj top. She has gained some weight so the top buttons pop open. We need to buy her some different PJs without buttons. She & I are the only ones in the house so it rarely bothers her that she goes to the bathroom with some buttons undone. In the…
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New to the group
Hello my daughter helped me sign in to Alzconnected. So this is all a bit new to me. My husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia three years ago and possibly had some of the symptoms a couple of years prior. Aricept did not work for him. He is presently on Mematine twice a day for a good year. Now I’m…
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Caring for LO when they're sick
Hi everyone, I've been absent for a bit -- we hit a semi-stable routine while we wait for our appointments with the new physician's group that was recommended to us. This post is one-part me venting/unloading about the Great Excitement of the past few days and one-part seeking wisdom. For those who don't want to read the…
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Safe Decongestants/pain relievers
New guy here. My dad and I have been taking care of my mom for about six years now. She has dementia, not Alzheimers specifically. I'm looking for recommendations for over the counter meds that are safe for her to take for runny noses and aches and pains. Google has given me unhelpful and contradictory info. Any help…
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Institute of Aging's Companioa program
Has anyone used Companioa, a program where the goal is to stay at home (as opposed to AL or MC), by using a combination of "care coaching" for caregivers, some home care, adult day care, and care management (medication, medical appointments, etc.). It seems to be a middle ground between 1) doing caregiving totally on your…
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My mom says I'm stealing her money and wants to go back home!
My mom is 82 and probably in the Stage 5 Dementia. Because she can no longer live alone she has been living with my husband and I for over a year. She still has her home that we grew up in and for the past year I , who am her Caretaker, take her back at least once or twice a month. She is always angry, accuses me of taking…
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Sister with early onset ....
Sister has declined so much in these past 6 years. She isn't able to converse with us. She stutters her words. She has also has a habit of chewing on everything. This has filed her teeth down to nubs. Is there something I can do to discourage this behavior. She also has started to suck her thumb and fingers. Basically,…
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I'm considering leaving
My GF has what appears to be Stage 4 AD. She has two 50+yr old sons and a daughter. They are weird. They refuse to talk to me. My daughter says it's because I am of the other political party. I don't know how that would have any connection with her health.?? She's getting worse (surprise?) and I have no way to communicate…
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Bible Verse to Lift You Up
*TODAY'S VITAMIN We pray & help people as guided. Jesus taught "everyone" is our neighbor. See Luke 10:30-37 NLT for Jesus' teaching about the Good Samaritan. *I NEED TO REVIEW THIS OFTEN. How about you? 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 New Living Translation 4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or…
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Feeling worthless by my partner
Hi, My partner has dementia, probably Alz and vascular dementia. I reached out earlier this summer about him giving up our boat. Still have the boat, but he has not gone down since late June. It is on the hard now, and he talks about next year, yet understands, somewhat, that his passion (his boat) is going away. It has…
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Trouble walking.....
For the past few months, my LO has been clutching doorways and not letting go. She seems terrified of walking these days. Does this mean her ability to walk is coming to an end?
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Beginning Stage 7 - big changes, all bad
Last week I did something I probably shouldn't have done, but I did it anyway. I went into memory care every day to see Peggy. I got there right around noon after lunch, and I stayed through dinner, ending at around 5pm. I never do that. Typically I go in a couple of times a week, call her a few times a week, and then take…
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Won’t Go to the Dr./won’t get an assessment
I am curious what ideas people have for facilitating an assessment for someone who probably understands that something is going on, but refuses to go to the doctor, and likely doesn’t want to do that because she is aware an assessment would happen. (the phrase - “you are trying to commit me has come up quite a bit…
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Can't get Mom to talk to the Dr. about dementia symptoms.
Hi all of you wonderful people. I've been trying to find help and resources ... basically just advice about how to get my mom to talk to a doctor about her memory loss. I mean its no longer just memory loss at this point. Her behavior is volatile and paranoid, at times delusional. She is withdrawn. Makes wild accusations.…
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Wife With Alzheimer's Won't Change Clothes or Bathe
I'm new here. My wife, who is in the middle stage of the disease, refuses to change her clothes, dress for bed or bathe. I am in the process of having some plumbing issues repaired in the bathroom with a tub in which she liked to use to soak and relax. We also have a shower in another bathroom that she could use. She used…
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What is the difference between palliative care and hospice?
I am asking a general question. My 91 year old frail neighbor without dementia but with congestive heart failure was refused palliative care from the Palliative Care Clinic of her HMO. Instead she was told she could apply for hospice. This was after a telephone consultation, not an in-person evaluation. I am wondering why…
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SUPPORTING THOSE WHO HAVE LOST SOMEONE section
I recently noticed that there's a section of the forum dedicated to those who have lost someone. I don't think it gets a lot of traffic. I wanted to ask if people could check in on it once in a while. Our fellow caregivers need some support and I would hate for them to get lost in the forum structure.
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Beginning
My mother (59 years old) was officially diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment caused by Alzheimer’s disease on Monday. I don’t really know where to start with how to feel or what to expect with this diagnosis. I feel devastated and confused- unsure if this is something that can stay the same or if it will always…
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Dad called, said mom asking God to take her, wants me to apologize to sister
I woke up this morning and noticed a voicemail my dad left at midnight. I had not heard my phone ring, but figured something happened. I listened to the message and my dad said that mom (who has dementia) had been crying all day non-stop begging God to take her out of this life and she just wanted to die. Both parents live…